We have been developing a series of novel technological solutions to address the challenges posed by the adaptive optic
requirements for extremely large telescopes. Our deformable mirror surface material, a compliant from of silicon
carbide, offers a Young's Modulus comparable to glass but with greater, non-catastrophic, resistance to fracture. In
combination with the extraordinary new material we have been working on a new low power actuator with a deflection
capability of tens of microns. We have considered the systems requirements for our deformable mirror and developed
both a coating technology and a unique use of hydroxide catalysis bonding.
Adaptive optic requirements for instrumentation such as EAGLE for the European extremely large telescope present an
enormous challenge to deformable mirror technology. We have developed a unique approach using fabricated arrays of
multilayer actuator technology to address the requirements of actuator density and deflection. Our programme of work
has uncovered a novel approach which has led to a built in test capability. We will present the outcomes of our work
which we believe will lead to a compact deformable mirror.
The GAIA satellite will make a 3-D map of our Galaxy with measurement accuracy of 10 microarcseconds using two astrometric telescopes. The angle between the lines-of-sight of the two telescopes will be monitored using the Basic Angle Monitoring system with 1 microarcsecond accuracy. This system will be an interferometer consisting of a number of small mirrors and beam splitters in Silicon Carbide. Silicon Carbide has very high specific stiffness and very good thermal properties (low CTE and high conductivity). It also is a very stable material. A possible concept design for this Basic Angle Monitoring system is subject of a PhD study performed at the Technische Universiteit Eindhoven and TNO Science and Industry (The Netherlands). To prove that this concept design meets the alignment and measurement stability requirements, the GAIA extreme stability optical bench is developed. It will consist of a fourfold Michelson interferometer with four separate optical paths, which will measure the stability of the optical bench and the individual optical components. Also thermal cycling experiments and vibrations tests will be performed. 'Absolute' position measurements of the optical components with respect to the optical bench after the vibrations test will be performed using markers. The GAIA extreme stability optical bench will be placed in a vibration damped vacuum tank in order to imitate the highly stable L2 space environment. The goal is to obtain the first results early 2006.
The GAIA satellite, scheduled for launch in 2010, will make a highly accurate map of our Galaxy. It will measure the position of stars with an accuracy of 50 prad using two telescopes, which are positioned under a 'basic' angle between the the lines-of-sight of the telescopes of 106°. With a Basic Angle Monitoring system, variations of this angle will be measured with 5 prad accuracy, to correct for these variations on the measured position of stars. A conceptual design of the Basic Angle Monitoring system is presented. Two pairs of parallel laser bundles are sent to the telescopes, which create two interference patterns. If the basic angle varies, the interference patterns will shift. The optical design is such that the rotation of one pair of beams with respect to the other pair, does not affect the measured basic angle. The position stability requirement of the mirrors is a maximum shift of 1 pm in 6 hours. For material stability and good thermal and mechanical properties, Silicon Carbide has been chosen. The structural design is such that the design is as much monolithic as possible. The alignment is performed along the horizontal plane with external and removable alignment mechanisms. The components are locked by adhesives.
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