page_title: Mirror mount
section_title: Applications
hierarchical_section_title: Mirror mount / Applications
caption_attribution_description: English: Mirror mounts holding two broadband dielectric mirrors being used in an optics experiment. The characteristic color of the mirrors is caused by their wavelength dependent reflectivity.
context_page_description: A mirror mount is a device that holds a mirror. In optics research, these can be quite sophisticated devices, due to the need to be able to tip and tilt the mirror by controlled amounts, while still holding it in a precise position when it is not being adjusted.
  An optical mirror mount generally consists of a movable front plate which holds the mirror, and a fixed back plate with adjustment screws. Adjustment screws drive the front plate about the axes of rotation in the pitch and yaw directions. An optional third actuator often enables z-axis translation.
  Precision mirror mounts can be quite expensive, and a notable amount of engineering goes into their design. Such sophisticated mounts are often required for lasers, interferometers, and optical delay lines.
context_section_description: Laser cavity end mirrors need very precise alignment. Due to their low divergence laser beams need precise steering mirrors. For rapid prototyping on an optical table mirror mounts can be used to hold other elements besides mirrors, for example lenses often need to be aligned for minimal coma. Sometimes prisms only need two axes alignment and can be mounted on a mirror mount rather than a three-axis prism table.
  Critical phase matched crystals can be aligned and tuned precisely with a standard mirror mount. The same is true for small etalons, retarders and polarizers. Furthermore, mirror mounts using magnets instead of springs allow the mobile frame to be removed and later replaced in exactly the same position.
caption: Mirror mounts holding two broadband dielectric mirrors.
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