The 3502 optical chopper provides rock-solid stability and flexibility because its chopping frequency is phase-locked to its own internal frequency synthesizer. It can chop from 4 Hz to 10.65 kHz, using either the internal frequency synthesizer or an external source as the reference. You can chop at the fundamental, a harmonic (2 to 15), or even a sub-harmonic (1/2 to 1/15) of the reference.
- Stable and reliable phase locking
- Chopping is phase-locked to an internal frequency synthesizer
- Frequencies from 4 Hz to 10.65 kHz
- Lock to external references for harmonic or sub-harmonic chopping See All Features
Features
Complete Chopper System
The 3502 optical chopper comes complete with six chopper wheels, a chopper head motor with built-in wheel cover, and a controller with a USB interface. The 3502-BASE model excludes the six standard chopper wheels, providing a lower cost alternative with wheels ordered separately.
Six Broadband Absorber Coated Chopper Wheels Included
Six chopper wheels are included with the 3502 optical chopper system allowing for chopping frequencies from 4 Hz to 10.65 kHz (not included in the 3502-BASE model). Shown in the top row are the 60/2-slot, 7/5-slot, and 2-slot wheels, and the bottom row shows the 100-slot, 42/30-slot, and 60-slot wheels. All chopper wheels are 4.50 inch (114.3 mm) diameter. These high quality chopper wheels are made of a beryllium copper alloy, which offer superior performance compared to lower cost steel alternatives. This material choice allows for better thermal conductivity, higher strength, tighter machine tolerances, and are non-magnetic, non-sparking, and corrosion resistant. If a wheel becomes lost or bent, replacement models are available.
Chopper Head Features and Benefits
The 3502 optical chopper head features a high-quality DC motor with a built-in photo-sensor, providing persistent feedback to provide superior drift and jitter parameters during operation. The wheel cover allows for operator safety while in use, and also provides additional blocking of stray light to the photo-sensor element for improved performance. Two mounting options are available for end use: mounted directly to an optical table on its base, or at elevated positions on a 1/2"-diameter post. When mounted by its base, two set screws can be utilized for complete 360° rotation and position locking. For replacement or stand alone ordering of this chopper head, contact your Newport sales representative for part number 90083484.
Advanced Optical Chopper Controller
Stable and Reliable Phase Locking
Unique Chopper Features
Unique features of the Model 3502 include outputs at the sum and difference of the inner and outer wheels’ chopping frequencies for nonlinear-optics experiments, and a high-stability phase shifter that can lock two choppers together for long fluorescence-decay measurements.
Accessories
Rack Mount Kit
To mount the chopper controller in a standard 19" rack, order the Model 3510 rack-mount kit. The kit includes hardware for mounting one controller in a rack or two controllers side by side in a rack.
Resources
Software
Model_3502_Flash_Drive(7.9 MB, ZIP)
Manuals
Oriel 3502 Optical Chopper User Manual(1.4 MB, PDF)
Literature
3502 Series Optical Chopper Datasheet(2.3 MB, PDF)












