Whether a laboratory researcher or an optical-equipment manufacturer, you'll be concerned with how temperature changes affect your optical system. A thermally stable mount will lead to improved optical-system performance as the ambient temperature changes. For example, stable mounts favorably affect the power stability of a laser. Not only should you be concerned with changes over only a few degrees (as exist in a laboratory), but you may also want to understand how the system will perform through many decades of temperature variations (as exist in the field). And, if you are shipping the equipment, you will be concerned with the condition of the system after it travels by airplane, truck or train. In this case, a mount free of hysteresis will result in a turnkey system that will not require realignment upon arrival... Meet the authors Sherwin D. Cabatic is the OEM project manager at New Focus Inc. in Santa Clara, Calif. Alex Farinas is a test development engineer at New Focus. Kathryn Li Dessau is a product manager at New Focus.