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projects:optics:log [2026/02/22 18:33] – [Day 2026-02-21 (k8ik, rahix)] rahixprojects:optics:log [2026/04/14 08:22] (current) – [Day 2026-04-04 (k8ik, rahix, many guests)] rahix
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 ====== Lab Notes for Optics Experiments ====== ====== Lab Notes for Optics Experiments ======
  
 +==== Day 2026-04-04 (k8ik, rahix, many guests) ====
 +We presented our low-cost optics and the interferometer at EH23!  Watch our talk here: [[https://media.ccc.de/v/eh23-budget-beams-laser-experiments-in-a-hacker-lab|Budget Beams – Laser Experiments in a Hacker Lab]]
 +
 +{{:projects:optics:2026-04-04-interferometer-eh23.jpg?600|}}
 +
 +During the event, our laser diode broke (well, rahix fed it too much voltage really) so we scrambled to disassemble a DVD drive and extract the red 650nm diode from it. We kept the collimation optics from the DVD drive and hot-glued the entire subassembly to an optics mount.  It took 3 attempts (3 DVD drives) to not immediately kill the new diode again.
 +
 +We managed to demonstrate the fringe movement from the piezo quite a few times.  We borrowed a different power supply to drive it.  This one seems to lead to a slow ramp-up of voltage (fringes move slowly when turning on) and an abrupt cutoff (fringes fall back very quickly when turing off).
 +
 +Stability was quite alright with the reduced isolation setup as long as nobody touched the table.
 +==== Day 2026-04-01 (k8ik, rahix) ====
 +Set up the interferometer experiment again, but with "analog" readout (i.e. just a viewing screen where the pattern is enlarged).
 +
 +Tried driving the Z-axis piezo of the STM head with +20V.  We can see movement!  When turning on the voltage, the pattern immediately jumps.  When turning it back off, it slowly drifts back to its original state.
 +
 +Eyeballed the movement to be somewhere below λ/2, so <300nm.  But for any proper measurement, we need to do digital readout again.
 +
 +Getting the laser stable enough to see the movement without noise is not easy. The mechanics hold up plenty fine.
 ==== Day 2026-02-21 (k8ik, rahix) ==== ==== Day 2026-02-21 (k8ik, rahix) ====