Test-bed interferometer to develop active optics techniques for space interferometers in mid-IR and far-IR astronomy missions

In this paper, we have constructed a laser test-bed experiment for the purpose of testing hardware for far-IR interferometry on space missions using LISA Pathfinder interferometer. The emphasis is on prototyping possible space-rated devices and optical layouts for active-optics systems, including the laser sources, mechanisms, cryogenic IR optics, beam recombination, and detectors.