Diffraction Grating Ruling in Australia

Abstract

An Australian ruling engine has been operating at the Division of Chemical Physics, CSIRO, Melbourne, since January 1960, construction having commenced in March 1958. The engine, which has a capacity of 14 cm x 18 cm, has now ruled approximately 250 gratings which show efficiencies of 60-80%, Rowland ghost intensities of approximately 0.01% of the parent line (638/mm,first order), and first order wavefronts within one-fifth of a fringe, over a ruled width of 15 cm. Ruling speed is 19 grooves/min. No servomechanism or period corrector is used.