Re: Laser Calibration Runs

Alec Habig (ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu)
Wed, 7 Jun 1995 09:35:22 -0500 (EST)

LONGLEY@lngs.infn.it writes :
> Basically, most of the attenuator settings start at some low number and
> then march on to a higher number by about 40 clicks a step. What I don't
> understand is why sometimes the steps change to 20 or to 60 and then back to
> 40. Did we really determine each attenuator setting on an individual basis?
> Or are the erratic steps an historical artifact? The different initial
> settings, of course, seem fairly obviously determined by the laser output and
> the attenuator and splitter box performance.

Yes, the settings were individually tailored for each attenuator, by Alice and
me. We ran test laser runs through the calibration programs, added/subtracted
points, then re-ran stuff until everything worked right.

> Additionally, the SM 5 settings have about a half-dozen steps of 100
> clicks each added to the end (I say "added" because they are out of alignment
> with the rest of the steps). Does anyone know why these are here?

Not I.

> The guiding light here is that we have finished the laser hardware
> upgrade and I would like to standardize the software a little bit as well.
> In principal, it looks like we can reduce all the laser attenuator setting
> files to a simple start and stop value, but I want to understand what the
> motivations for the different steps are first.

We were just trying to map out the whole region needed, and did so on a trial
and error basis.

-- 
	    Alec Habig, Indiana University High Energy Astrophysics
		       ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu
	      http://astrowww.astro.indiana.edu/personnel/ahabig/
	    Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns.