Foci determination of an off-axis ellipsoid: from theory to practice

In the frame of cryogenic test on an off axis ellipsoid, it has been required to set-up an unambiguous method to determine and track the foci position during temperature transitions. This procedure was mandatory to avoid: (1) impact of the operator skills working on triple shift scheme to assure continuously monitoring of the ellipsoid shape during cool down. (2) correctly dissociate the impact of the thermal deformation on the mirror shape with respect to alignment errors. This paper will demonstrate the process, starting from ideal ellipsoid shape, then introducing 3D metrology data in a model, and finally presents the results in a practical situation.