next up previous
Next: Using telescopes Up: Astronomical optics Previous: Telescope design considerations

Large mirror types

Another real-world issue for large telescopes is the technology of how to build a large mirror which will not be so heavy that it will sag under its own weight. Additionally, since it has been recognized that good image quality requires that the mirrors be at the same temperature as the outside air, the mirror technology must be such that the mirror has a short thermal time constant, or, in other words, it must be able to change temperature to match the outside air fairly quickly. If necessary, one can consider thermally controlling the mirror, e.g., with heating or air conditioning.

In the large mirror regime, there are currently three leading technologies. The first is the construction of a single large mirror (monolithic) made from borosilicate glass, but having large hollowed out regions to keep the weight down. This borosilicate honeycomb design has been pioneered by Roger Angel at the Mirror Lab of the University of Arizona. This type of mirror has been successfully cast in a 3.5m size (used in the ARC 3.5m (APO), WIYN 3.5m (KPNO), and the Starfire Optical Range Telescope near Albuquerque), and in a 6.5m format for the MMT conversion (Mt. Hopkins, AZ) and the Magellan (Las Campanas Observatory, Chile) telescopes; in the works are an 8m format (x2) for the Large Binoculuar Telescope (Mt. Graham, AZ). The second design is also monolithic but has a mirror which is significantly thinner than the borosilicate mirror. These thin mirrors are being built primarly by two companies, Corning (USA) and Schott (Germany). They use materials with good thermal properties, ULE (Corning) and Zerodur (Schott). Thin mirrors are being used in ESO's 3.5m New Technology Telescope (La Silla, Chile), Japan's 8m Subaru telescope (Mauna Kea, Hawaii), the two 8m Gemini telescopes (Mauna Kea and Cerro Pachon, Chile), and ESO's Very Large Telescopes (4 8m's in La Silla). Finally, the third design make use of segmented mirrors, in which a large mirror is made by combining many small mirrors. This design is currently operational in the 10m Keck telescope (Mauna Kea), semi-operations for the 12m(?) Hobby-Eberly Telescope, and is planned for the 10m Gran Telescopio de las Canarias.

The borosilicate mirrors have the advantage that they are stiffer than the other designs, so the mirror support is less complicated. For thin mirrors, the support system must be activated to allow for changing shape as a function of telescope pointing. For segmented mirrors, each segment must be controlled to make sure the entire surface is smooth. The thick mirror is also less susceptible to wind shake, which can adversely affect image quality. The thin and segmented mirrors have the advantage of better thermal properties since they contain less total material.

The choice of a primary mirror technology can be complicated. In designing a large telescope, one generally first decides on an optical prescription which is chosen considering the main scientific goals for the project (e.g., large field, IR, good image quality, etc.). The primary mirror choice is made considering the choice of site (e.g, are there large temperature changes, lots of wind, etc.), availability, issues of engineering complexity, and, especially, cost (and politics). The choice of a mount and control system to use is basically a cost and operations issue.


next up previous
Next: Using telescopes Up: Astronomical optics Previous: Telescope design considerations
Rene Walterbos 2003-04-14