FAR-INFRARED OPTICS DESIGN & VERIFICATION Phase II

Abstract: In this paper we compare the performance of several commercial software packages (GRASP, ASAP, CODE V. GLAD) as well as the Gaussian beam mode method, in analysing the behaviour of submillimetre systems. The study was commissioned by the European Space Agency (ESA) and was carried out in two phases. In Phase I we allowed these packages to simulate the behaviour of carefully selected test cases in order to reveal their strengths and weaknesses. In Phase II we first investigate the ability of the packages to predict the performance of a whole submillimetre system. We also compare the simulated results with those predicted by near field amplitude and phase measurements. 1