A system comprises a sensor subsystem for imaging an object space, and a telescope for coupling electromagnetic energy from the object space to the sensor subsystem. The system comprises a bypass optical path that bypasses the telescope on the way to the sensor subsystem in order to provide a larger field of view of the object space. The bypass path and the telescope path merge at a merging point between the telescope and the sensor subsystem, and are disjoint upstream of the merging point. A simple bypass configuration is therefore provided, with possibly just a single fold mirror at the merging point. A sensor may form an intermediate image, and a frame is placed at the intermediate image to reject stray radiation and provide a real and accessible intermediate pupil for the sensor. Other features are also provided.

A system comprises a sensor subsystem for imaging an object space, and a telescope for coupling electromagnetic energy from the object space to the sensor subsystem. The system comprises a bypass optical path that bypasses the telescope on the way to the sensor subsystem in order to provide a larger field of view of the object space. The bypass path and the telescope path merge at a merging point between the telescope and the sensor subsystem, and are disjoint upstream of the merging point. A simple bypass configuration is therefore provided, with possibly just a single fold mirror at the merging point. A sensor may form an intermediate image, and a frame is placed at the intermediate image to reject stray radiation and provide a real and accessible intermediate pupil for the sensor. Other features are also provided.

An optical mirror assembly includes a crystalline face sheet and a carbon fiber sandwich. The crystalline face sheet has a first surface configured to reflect light and a second surface coupled to the carbon fiber sandwich by a layer of epoxy. The carbon fiber sandwich is configured to structurally support the crystalline face sheet. The carbon fiber sandwich includes a first carbon fiber layer, a second carbon fiber layer and a substrate positioned between the first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer.

An optical mirror assembly includes a crystalline face sheet and a carbon fiber sandwich. The crystalline face sheet has a first surface configured to reflect light and a second surface coupled to the carbon fiber sandwich by a layer of epoxy. The carbon fiber sandwich is configured to structurally support the crystalline face sheet. The carbon fiber sandwich includes a first carbon fiber layer, a second carbon fiber layer and a substrate positioned between the first carbon fiber layer and the second carbon fiber layer.

An optical instrument indexing device includes a riser and first and second platform. The first platform is disposed on a first side of the riser at a first position on the riser. The second platform disposed on a second side of the riser at a second position on the riser. Both the first and second platforms are indexed or indexable to align two optical instruments to a field of view.

An optical instrument indexing device includes a riser and first and second platform. The first platform is disposed on a first side of the riser at a first position on the riser. The second platform disposed on a second side of the riser at a second position on the riser. Both the first and second platforms are indexed or indexable to align two optical instruments to a field of view.

A mirror (1) includes a mirror surface (3a) provided on a front surface (3) of a body portion (2), having a plate shape and made of ceramics, a recessed portion (6) formed on a back surface (4) of the body portion (2), and a rib (7) provided along edges of the recesses (6) and including a tapered side surface (7a1, 7b1, 7c1).

A telescope includes an initial telescope comprising a concave first mirror and a convex second mirror that are configured so that they form, from a light beam coming from infinity, an image called the intermediate image in a focal plane called the intermediate focal plane, the intermediate image having a largest dimension along an X-axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the telescope, a segmenting module comprising a first set of n segmenting mirrors that are placed downstream of the intermediate focal plane and that are configured to divide the intermediate image obtained from the intermediate focal plane into n sub-images, a second set of n refocusing mirrors that are configured to reimage the n sub-images into n images in a focal plane of the telescope, the images being arranged in the focal plane so as to decrease the dimension along X containing the n images, a detecting device placed in the focal plane.

A telescope includes an initial telescope comprising a concave first mirror and a convex second mirror that are configured so that they form, from a light beam coming from infinity, an image called the intermediate image in a focal plane called the intermediate focal plane, the intermediate image having a largest dimension along an X-axis perpendicular to an optical axis of the telescope, a segmenting module comprising a first set of n segmenting mirrors that are placed downstream of the intermediate focal plane and that are configured to divide the intermediate image obtained from the intermediate focal plane into n sub-images, a second set of n refocusing mirrors that are configured to reimage the n sub-images into n images in a focal plane of the telescope, the images being arranged in the focal plane so as to decrease the dimension along X containing the n images, a detecting device placed in the focal plane.

Beamformers are formed (e.g., carved) from a stack of transparent sheets. A rear face of each sheet has a reflective coating. The reflectivities of the coatings vary monotonically with sheet position within the stack. The sheets are tilted relative to the intended direction of an input beam and then bonded to form the stack. The carving can include dicing the stack to yield stacklets, and polishing the stacklets to form beamformers. Each beamformer is thus a stack of beamsplitters, including a front beamsplitter in the form of a triangular or trapezoidal prism, and one or more beamsplitters in the form of rhomboid prisms. In use, a beamformer forms an output beam from an input beam. More specifically, the beamformer splits an input beam into plural output beam components that collectively constitute an output beam that differs in cross section from the input beam.