New and improved technology for manufacture of GMT primary mirror segments

Description

The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) primary mirror consists of seven 8.4 m light-weight honeycomb mirrors that are being manufactured at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab (RFCML), University of Arizona. In order to manufacture the largest and most aspheric astronomical mirrors various high precision fabrication technologies have been developed, researched and implemented at the RFCML. The unique 8.4 m (in mirror diameter) capacity fabrication facilities are fully equipped with large optical generator (LOG), large polishing machine (LPM), stressed lap, rigid conformal lap (RC lap) and their process simulation/optimization intelligence called MATRIX. While the core capability and key manufacturing technologies have been well demonstrated by completing the first GMT off-axis segment, there have been significant hardware and software level improvements in order to improve and enhance the GMT primary mirror manufacturing efficiency. The new and improved manufacturing technology plays a key role to realize GMT, the next generation extremely large telescope enabling new science and discoveries, with high fabrication efficiency and confidence.

Links & Downloads

1. Dae Wook Kim ; James H. Burge ; Jonathan M. Davis ; Hubert M. Martin ; Michael T. Tuell ; Logan R. Graves and Steve C. West " New and improved technology for manufacture of GMT primary mirror segments ", Proc. SPIE 9912, Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and Instrumentation II, 99120P (July 22, 2016); doi:10.1117/12.2231911; http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2231911
2. 0277-786X
3. 10.1117/12.2231911
4. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622421
5. http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/622421
6. ADVANCES IN OPTICAL AND MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION II

Tags

Large optics

Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

Optical fabrication

Optics manufacturing

Additional Fields

Identifer	oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/622421
Date	22 July 2016
Creators	Kim, Dae Wook, Burge, James H., Davis, Jonathan M., Martin, Hubert M., Tuell, Michael T., Graves, Logan R., West, Steve C.
Contributors	Univ Arizona, Coll Opt Sci, Univ Arizona, Steward Observ, College of Optical Sciences, The Univ. of Arizona (United States), College of Optical Sciences, The Univ. of Arizona (United States), Steward Observatory (United States), Steward Observatory (United States), Steward Observatory (United States), College of Optical Sciences, The Univ. of Arizona (United States), Steward Observatory (United States)
Publisher	SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING
Source Sets	University of Arizona
Language	English
Detected Language	English
Type	Article
Rights	© 2016 SPIE
Relation	http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/proceeding.aspx?doi=10.1117/12.2231911