Large, ultra-thin, lightweight,carbon-fibre adaptive mirrors for ELTs

用于 ELT 的大型、超薄、轻质碳纤维自适应镜子

• 批准号: PP/E007600/1
• 负责人: Andrew Doel
• 金额: $ 44.27万
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2007 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=PP%2FE007600%2F1
• 关键词: Large; ultra; thin; lightweight; carbon

The largest optical telescopes that are in use in the world today have primary mirrors of up to 10 meters in diameter. The size of the primary mirror essentially determines how faint an object the telescope can detect. Work is currently under way on the development of the next generation of telescopes. These will have primary mirror diameters of 30-60 meters in size and are generally termed extremely large telescopes (ELTs). A 30 meter telescope will be able to detect and study an object ~9 times fainter than a 10 meter telescope and hence will be able to look back further back into early universe and answer some key questions about how galaxies formed and developed. These telescopes pose many technical challenges and key to the success of these systems is the use of adaptive mirror components that can compensate for the atmospheric variations and changes in the shape and alignment of the telescope optics due to the effect of wind-shake and gravitational induced distortions. The proposed designs for the ELTs all include a large adaptive mirror in the sytems of 2-4 meters in size. This size of adaptive mirror is difficult to make as it needs to be very thin in order to be rapidly deformed. Traditionally glass is used as the basis of a mirror but such large thin mirrors are difficult to make and pose a high risk of fracture. The research proposed will develop an alternative material to glass, namely nickel coated carbon fibre composite, that has the potential of producing a low fracture risk mirror that is lighter and lower cost to produce.

当今世界上使用的最大的光学望远镜的主镜的直径最高为10米。主镜的大小基本上决定了望远镜可以检测到的对象的微弱。目前正在开发下一代望远镜方面的工作。这些将具有30-60米的主要镜子直径，通常称为极大的望远镜（ELT）。 30米的望远镜将能够检测和研究一个比10米的望远镜的物体约9倍，因此能够回头回到早期的宇宙中，并回答有关星系形成和开发星系的一些关键问题。这些望远镜构成了许多技术挑战，这些系统成功的关键是使用自适应镜组件，可以弥补由于风震动和重力引起的扭曲的效果，望远镜光学元件的形状和对齐方式的变化和变化。 ELT的建议设计都包括2-4米大小的系统中的大型自适应镜。这种自适应镜的大小很难制作，因为它需要非常薄才能快速变形。传统上，玻璃被用作镜子的基础，但是很难制作出如此大的薄镜子，并构成高骨折的高风险。提出的研究将开发玻璃的替代材料，即镍涂层的碳纤维复合材料，具有生产低断裂风险镜的潜力，该镜像较轻，生产成本更低。

项目成果

A 1-metre Ni coated CFRP demonstrator for large deformable mirrors

用于大型变形镜的 1 米镀镍 CFRP 演示器

• DOI: 10.1051/ao4elt/201006007
• 发表时间: 2010
• 作者: Thompson S

Toward a large lightweight mirror for AO: development of a 1m Ni coated CFRP mirror

面向 AO 的大型轻质反射镜：开发 1m 镀镍 CFRP 反射镜

• DOI: 10.1117/12.786079
• 发表时间: 2008
• 作者: Thompson S