Myung K. Cho

Characterization of wind loading of telescopes

Ground-based telescopes operate in a turbulent atmosphere that affects the optical path across the aperture by changing both the mirror positions (wind induced vibrations) and the air refraction index. Although the characteristics of the atmosphere are well understood in the inertial range, the validity of the homogeneous, isotropic field assumption is questionable inside the enclosure and in the close vicinity of the structure. To understand the effect of wind on an actual telescope, we conducted extensive wind measurements at the Gemini South Telescope. Simultaneous measurements were made of pressures at multiple points on the mirror surface, as well as wind velocity and direction at several locations inside and outside the dome. During the test we varied the dome position relative to the wind, the telescope elevation angle, the position of windscreens in the observing slit, and the size of the openings in the ventilation gates. The data sets have been processed to provide the temporal and spatial characteristics of the pressure variations on the primary mirror in comparison to the theory of atmospheric turbulence. Our investigation is part of an effort leading to the development of a scalable wind model for large telescope simulations, which describes the forces due to air turbulence on the primary mirror and telescope structure reasonably well even inside an enclosure.

Wind loading of large telescopes

Wind loading is a critical issue for large telescopes and will be even more problematic for proposed future giant telescopes. As the current-generation telescopes were being designed in the 1980s and 1990s, numerous studies were made to understand airflow through the enclosures and wind loading of the telescopes. Now that these telescopes are in operation, it is important to consider what can be learned from them to: (1) verify the assumptions and predictions of previous studies; (2) establish procedures to optimize telescope operation; and (3) guide the design of future extremely large telescopes. With these goals in mind, Gemini Observatory conducted a campaign during the integration of the southern Gemini telescope to simultaneously measure wind velocities inside and outside the enclosure and pressure variations on the (dummy) primary mirror. The data collected in this campaign have been analyzed and results are presented that address these three goals. This paper points out several results that are different from the assumptions of previous studies. It presents a rule of thumb for allowable wind speed around the Gemini primary mirror. Results are shown indicating that the average pressure pattern on the Gemini mirror is primarily produced by airflow around the telescope structure, but that much of the dynamic pressure variation at the mirror comes from turbulence generated by the enclosure. Also described is a strategy for developing realistic wind loading input for simulating the performance of an extremely large telescope, including the spatial and temporal variation of pressure on the primary mirror.

Wind buffeting effects on the Gemini 8-m primary mirrors

One of the critical design factors for large telescopes is control of primary mirror distortion caused by wind pressure variations. To quantify telescope wind loading effects, the Gemini Observatory has conducted a series of wind tests under actual mountaintop conditions. During commissioning of the southern Gemini Telescope, simultaneous measurements were made of pressures at multiple points on the mirror surface, as well as wind velocity and direction at several locations inside and outside the dome. During the test we varied the dome position relative to the wind, the telescope elevation angle, the position of windscreens in the observing slit, and the size of the openings in the ventilation gates. Five-minute data records were made for 116 different test conditions, with a data-sampling rate of ten per second. These data sets have been processed to provide pressure maps over the surface of the mirror at each time instant. From these pressure maps, the optical surface distortions of the primary mirror have been calculated using finite-element analysis. Data reduction programs have been developed to enhance visualization of the test data and mirror surface distortions. The test results have implications for the design of future large telescopes.

Design of the Gemini near-infrared spectrometer

The design of a near-IR spectrometer for the Gemini 8m telescopes is described. This instrument, GNIRS, provides coverage from 0.9 to 5.5 micrometers at several spectral resolutions and two pixel scales. Capabilities include an imaging mode intended primarily for acquisition, a cross- dispersed mode covering wavelengths from 0.9 to 2.5 micrometers , and provisions for an integral field unit. The design of the GNIRS is conservative, as it must meet tight schedule and resource constraints; it nonetheless provides high throughput and operational efficiency, minimal flexure, and the flexibility needed to support queue observing. The optics are a combination of diamond-turned metal optics for the fore-optics and collimator, and refractive optics for the cameras. The mechanism include a two-axis grating turret; all mechanism are deposited by means of internal detents. The instrument achieves low flexure within its weight budget by the use of a modular structure composed of cylindrical light-weighted sections into which individual mechanisms and optics modules are mounted. Extensive analyses of mechanical and optical performance have been performed. The GNIRS has passed its critical design review, and fabrication is now underway.

Gemini primary mirror support system

The primary mirror selected for the Gemini 8-m Telescopes is a thin meniscus made of Corning ULETM glass. The conceptual design of the Gemini support system has evolved in response to the properties of the meniscus mirror and the functional requirements of the Gemini Telescopes. This paper describes the design requirements, the design features, and predicted performance of this system.

Active optics and control architecture for a giant segmented mirror telescope

The next generation 30-meter class ground-based telescopes pose an unprecedented challenge for control systems envisioned to support diffraction limited imaging. Our approach is a multi-tiered, decentralized control architecture utilizing two kinds of feedback: optical and mechanical. Based on simulations, we suggest a configuration where the optical feedback loops for the main axes, secondary mirror rigid body motions and segmented primary mirror are separated in both temporal and spatial frequency domains. The active optics system maintaining the continuity and higher order shape of the primary mirror is based on mechanical sensors while the low order shape is corrected through optical feedback. Shown are the results of numerical simulations using real, measured wind data that prove the feasibility of the suggested architecture.

Optimization of the ATST Primary Mirror Support System

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) primary mirror is a 4.24-m diameter, 75-mm thick, off-axis parabola solid meniscus mirror made out of a glass or glass ceramic material. Its baseline support system consists of 120 axial supports mounted at the mirror back surface and 24 lateral supports along the outer edge with an active optics capability. This primary mirror support system was optimized for the telescope at a near horizon position to achieve the best gravity and thermal effects. To fulfill the optical and mechanical performance requirements, extensive finite element analyses using I-DEAS and optical analyses with PCFRINGE have been conducted for the support optimization. Analyses include static deformation (gravity and thermal), frequency calculations, and support system sensitivity evaluations. An influence matrix was established to compensate potential errors using an active optics system. Performances of the primary mirror support system were evaluated from mechanical deformation calculations and the optical analyses before and after active optics corrections. The performance of the mirror cell structure was also discussed.

Development of optimal grinding and polishing tools for aspheric surfaces

The ability to grind and polish steep aspheric surfaces to high quality is limited by the tools used for working the surface. The optician prefers to use large, stiff tools to get good natural smoothing, avoiding small scale surface errors. This is difficult for steep aspheres because the tools must have sufficient compliance to fit the aspheric surface, yet we wish the tools to be stiff so they wear down high regions on the surface. This paper presents a toolkit for designing optimal tools that provide large scale compliance to fit the aspheric surface, yet maintain small scale stiffness for efficient polishing.

Surface distortions of a 3.5-meter mirror subjected to thermal variations

Finite element analyses were performed to predict the optical surface distortions for a 3.5-meter borosilicate glass structured mirror due to the effects of thermal variations. In order to evaluate the performance of the mathematical mirror model, a parallel experimental study was conducted at the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO). A total of 666 thermal sensors was bonded to the mirror for the experiment. Temperature distributions measured by the thermal sensors were directly translated by an interface program into a set of the nodal temperatures for input for the numerical model, and the optical surface distortions were calculated. Excellent agreement between the experimental and numerical results were found. Additionally, an analytical approach for a linear thermal gradient along the optical axis was made, and the result agreed closely with that from the finite element analysis.

Performance prediction of the TMT secondary mirror support system

The Ritchey-Chretien (RC) design of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) optics calls for a 3.1 m diameter Secondary Mirror (M2), which is a large meniscus convex hyperboloid. The M2 converts the beam reflected from the f/1 primary mirror into an f/15 beam for the science instruments. The M2 Mirror (M2M) has a mass of approximately two metric tons and the mirror support system will need to maintain the mirror figure at different gravity orientations. Recent changes in the telescope configuration to RC from Aplanatic Gregorian (AG) prescription and reduction of the fully-illuminated field of view to 15 arc minutes required a design change in the M2 mirror figure from a concave radius to a convex radius, with a significant reduction in diameter, which in turn requires re-optimization of the mirror support systems. The optical performance evaluations were made based on the optimized support systems resulting from the change from AG to RC. The M2 optimized support system consists of 60 axial supports, mounted at the mirror back surface, and 24 lateral supports mounted along the outer edge. The predicted print-though errors of the M2M supports are 10nm RMS surface for axial gravity and 2nm RMS surface for lateral gravity. This M2M support system has an active optics capability to accommodate potential mechanical or thermal errors; its performance to correct low-order aberrations has been analyzed. A structure function of the axial gravity support print-through was calculated.