BISTATIC LIQUID MIRROR TELESCOPE LIDAR ALIGNMENT

A scheme for aligning a bistatic lidar with liquid mirror telescope (L MT) is described. It is based on the fact that the axis of an LMT is a bsolutely vertical so that the focal point can be accurately found wit h a pair of vertically propagating helium neon laser beams, initially retroreflected from a liquid surface (such as the quiescent mercury su rface of the LMT). When the detector is located at the focus of the pa rabolic reflector, the illuminating laser beam has only to be aligned absolutely vertical. This is done with an oil filled cup with a flat g lass bottom. (C) 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Enginee rs.