SPIE Milestones are collections of seminal papers from the world literature covering important discoveries and developments in optics and photonics.

Optomechanics is a field of mechanics that addresses the specific design challenges associated with optical systems. Intended for practicing optical and mechanical engineers whose work involves both fields, this describes how to mount optical components, as well as how to analyse a given design. Common issues involved with mounting optical components are discussed, including stress, glass strength, thermal effects, vibration, and errors due to motion.

This tutorial presents optomechanical modeling techniques to effectively design and analyze high-performance optical systems. It discusses thermal and structural modeling methods that use finite-element analysis to predict the integrity and performance of optical elements and optical support structures. Includes accompanying CD-ROM with examples.

This comprehensive handbook covers all major aspects of optomechanical engineering - from conceptual design to fabrication and integration of complex optical systems. The practical information within is ideal for optical and optomechanical engineers and scientists involved in the design, development and integration of modern optical systems for commercial, space, and military applications. Charts, tables, figures, and photos augment this already impressive text. Fully revised, the new edition includes 4 new chapters: Plastic optics, Optomechanical tolerancing and error budgets, Analysis and design of flexures, and Optomechanical constraint equations.

Opto-Mechanical Systems Design, Fourth Edition is different in many ways from its three earlier editions: coauthor Daniel Vukobratovich has brought his broad expertise in materials, opto-mechanical design, analysis of optical instruments, large mirrors, and structures to bear throughout the book; Jan Nijenhuis has contributed a comprehensive new chapter on kinematics and applications of flexures; and several other experts in special aspects of opto-mechanics have contributed portions of other chapters. An expanded feature—a total of 110 worked-out design examples—has been added to several chapters to show how the theory, equations, and analytical methods can be applied by the reader. Finally, the extended text, new illustrations, new tables of data, and new references have warranted publication of this work in the form of two separate but closely entwined volumes. This second volume, Design and Analysis of Large Mirrors and Structures, concentrates on the design and mounting of significantly larger optics and their structures, including a new and important topic: detailed consideration of factors affecting large mirror performance. The book details how to design and fabricate very large single-substrate, segmented, and lightweight mirrors; describes mountings for large mirrors with their optical axes in vertical, horizontal, and variable orientations; indicates how metal and composite mirrors differ from ones made of glass; explains key design aspects of optical instrument structural design; and takes a look at an emerging technology—the evolution and applications of silicon and silicon carbide in mirrors and other types of components for optical applications.