Optical tooling for Antares

The Antares laser system is a large (40 kJ) CO2 pulse laser system. High energy pulses are transmitted between buildings over path lengths exceeding 90 m. The optical elements are contained within large steel assemblies (power amplifiers, turning chambers, and target chamber) which must be positioned with tolerances of 0.75 mm. The subassemblies of optical components must be prepositioned to a precision of 0.25 mm. This precision can easily be obtained by first order surveying techniques and instrumentation. The use of a combination of traditional surveying techniques and modern optical tooling methods throughout the integration of building reference planes and the erection of major steel assemblies are described. The design and measured assembly tolerances are compared.