Fractal surface finish

Surface finish measurements are usually fitted to models of the finish correlation function which are parametrized in terms of root-mean-square roughnesses, delta, and correlation lengths, l. Highly finished optical surfaces, however, are frequently better described by fractal models, which involve inverse power-law spectra and are parametrized by spectral strengths, K(n), and spectral indices, n. Analyzing measurements of fractal surfaces in terms of sigma and l gives results which are not intrinsic surface parameters but which depend on the bandwidth parameters of the measurement process used. This paper derives expressions for these pseudoparameters and discusses the errors involved in using them for the characterization and specification of surface finish.