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Optical Table System Design

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Optical Table System Design

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In optical tables, "noise" refers to three types of vibration: seismic, acoustic, and tabletop forces. Seismic vibrations come from the ground underneath the table and can be caused by foot and vehicle traffic, wind, and building vibrations. Acoustic noise comes from sound waves that travel through the air and walls. Tabletop forces are caused by vibrations on the working surface, such as a moving positioning stage or vacuum-system tubing. The term optical table system typically refers to a vibration-isolation system, that is, the tabletop plus the support system (see Figure 1). Such tables generally come in several grades, determined by the level of vibration damping they provide. Basic optical tables for general-purpose use are suitable for quiet environments and provide little or no vibration damping mechanisms, but because of their honeycomb composite construction, they provide a rigid platform for general optical experiments that are relatively insensitive to vibration such as spectroscopy, velocimetry, and non-phase-dependent applications.

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