BeamDelta: Alignment tool

A simple GUI interface for python-microscope which allows a compatible camera (see python-microscope compatibility list) to be used for optical alignment purposes. The GUI will display live images, calculate and mark beam centroids and then store an alignment centroid position. Once a position is stored the live centroid then displays a pixel based delta position to allow precise alignment between the marked position and the new beam.

BeamDelta is called from the command line using the following format:

BeamDelta CAMERA-1-URI [CAMERA-2-URI ... CAMERA-N-URI]

The CAMERA-URI arguments are URIs for Python microscope device servers, and have the following format:

PYRO:[microscope_device_name]@[ip_address]:[port]

See BeamDelta --help for other options.

Usage

Lens alignment

1. align the system with no lenses present using a laser or similar well collimated beam.
2. position camera in beam.
3. mark centroid.
4. add first lens and check centroid.
5. shift lens in X and Y (perpendicular to optic axis) to align centroids.
6. check for back reflection to ensure the lens is perpendicular to optic axis
7. repeat 5-6 until no change.

Co-aligning two beams

1. start with one correctly aligned beam.
2. construct a dual camera setup (description needed!)
3. mark centroids on both cameras.
4. turn of first beam, turn on second beam
5. use two mirrors to walk the beam (description needed) so it matches both centroids.

##Suggested parts list

We include a suggested parts list in BeamDelta-parts-list.csv which enables the construction of a two camera alignment setup. This hardware configuration will allow both lens alignment and co-aligning two beams and has a small footprint so can relatively easily be mounted within an existing setup.

This is list just an example of parts which we have used to build the system. other optics, or cameras supported by Python microscope can easily be used.