The optical diagnostic beamline at the Canadian Light Source

Beam characterizations at the Canadian Light Source are provided by two independent diagnostic beamlines called the Optical Synchrotron Radiation (OSR) and the X-ray Synchrotron Radiation (XSR) beamlines, respectively. The OSR beamline, which operates in the visible region, is the subject of this report. Issues discussed include the general design philosophy, choice of instrumentation, limits to resolution, and actual performance. The primary pick-off mirror intercepts only half of the dipole light-cone, with unique consequences for the diffraction limit and polarization degrees of freedom. Instrumentation includes a CCD camera, a gated MCP-intensified CCD camera, a streak camera, and a position-sensitive detector. The three cameras complement each other very nicely as diagnostic tools.