Testing a large aspheric surface based on analysis of scanning 3D interferogram

A new method based on new reconstruction algorithm and new interferogram fringe analysis was proposed for testing a large aspheric surface. In the testing process, firstly, the interferometer or the tested aspheric surface was shifted relatively for measurement of the whole aperture of the tested aspheric surface to obtain a series of interferograms. Then these interferograms were analyzed to extract the best matching point, where the annular sub-surface was tangent with the corresponding reference sphere of the reference wavefront. Finally, the wavefront aberration of the whole aperture was figured out to describe the deformation information of the tested surface. Without any additional null optical elements, this method can perform the measurement directly. So, this method provides an effective and convenient means of testing the large-aperture aspheric surface. The mathematical model of this method is described, and the results of simulation tests are presented to verify it.