Samantha Thompson

A nickel-carbon-fibre composite for large adaptive mirrors: fabrication methods and properties

We present results from our recent research into carbon-fibre composite (CFC) mirror fabrication for optical and infra-red applications. In particular this research is aimed towards the next generation of extremely large telescopes to offer an alternative to thin glass shell adaptive secondary mirrors. We address the issues involved with CFC mirror production, in particular the accuracy of the form replication process, a suitable surface for polishing to optical quality, no fibre print-through, environmental stability (shape change due to thermal and moisture variations), material uniformity and lifetime. We have performed experiments into the effectiveness of cold electroplating thick nickel coatings to totally encapsulate the CFC base substrate; the manufacturing procedure and properties of the Ni-CFC mirror are described here.

Large thin adaptive x-ray mirrors

This paper describes the progress made in a proof of concept study and recent results of a research program into large active x-ray mirrors that is part of the UK Smart X-ray Optics project. The ultimate aim is to apply the techniques of active/adaptive optics to the next generation of nested shell astronomical X-ray space telescopes. A variety of deformable mirror technologies are currently available, the most promising of which for active X-ray mirrors are probably unimorph and bimorph piezoelectric mirrors. In this type of mirror one or more sheets of piezoelectric material are bonded to or coated with a passive reflective layer. On the back or between the piezoceramic layer/layers are series of electrodes. Application of an electric field causes the piezoelectric material to undergo local deformation thus changing the mirror shape. Starting in 2005 a proof of concept active mirror research program has been undertaken. This work included modelling and development of actively controlled thin shell mirrors. Finite element models of piezo-electric actuated mirrors have been developed and verified against experimental test systems. This has included the modelling and test of piezo-electric hexagonal unimorph segments. Various actuator types and low shrinkage conductive bonding methods have been investigated and laboratory tests of the use of piezo-electric actuators to adjust the form of an XMM-Newton space telescope engineering model mirror shell have been conducted and show that movement of the optics at the required level is achievable. Promising technological approaches have been identified including moulded piezo-ceramics and piezo-electrics fibre bundles.

Active X-ray optics for the next generation of X-ray telescopes

The immediate future for X-ray astronomy is the need for high sensitivity, requiring large apertures and collecting areas, the newly combined NASA, ESA and JAXA mission IXO (International X-ray Observatory) is specifically designed to meet this need. However, looking beyond the next decade, there have been calls for an X-ray space telescope that can not only achieve this high sensitivity, but could also boast an angular resolution of 0.1 arc-seconds, a factor of five improvement on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. NASAs proposed Generation-X mission is designed to meet this demand; it has been suggested that the X-ray optics must be active in nature in order to achieve this desired resolution. The Smart X-ray Optics (SXO) project is a UK based consortium looking at the application of active/adaptive optics to both large and small scale devices, intended for astronomical and medical purposes respectively. With Generation-X in mind, an active elliptical prototype has been designed by the SXO consortium to perform point-to-point X-ray focussing, while simultaneously manipulating its optical surface to improve its initial resolution. Following the completion of the large scale SXO prototype, presented is an overview of the production and operation of the prototype, with emphasis on the X-ray environment and preliminary results.

Advances in active X-ray telescope technologies

The next generation of X-ray telescopes will require both high resolution and high sensitivity to target the earliest astronomical objects, to this end the UK based Smart X-ray Optics (SXO) project has been investigating the application of active/adaptive optics to traditional grazing incidence X-ray optics and this has resulted in the fabrication and testing of our first active X-ray prototype in November 2008. Results from these initial tests have proved very encouraging for this advancing technology and have highlighted the prototypes ability to deform its optical surface through piezoelectric actuation. We present a critical analysis of the first prototype system, discussing metrology of the mandrel, the nickel replicated ellipsoidal optics and the prototype. The measured actuator influence functions of the prototype are compared against finite element analysis simulations and the observed characteristics are then described. The advances required in the current technology are then outlined in relation to a second generation of active X-ray prototype, which is scheduled for X-ray testing in 2010.

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

We present our recent developments towards the construction of a large, thin, single-piece mirror for adaptive optics (AO). Our current research program aims to have completed fabrication and testing of a 1m diameter, nickel coated carbon-fibre reinforced cyanate ester resin mirror by the last quarter of 2009. This composite mirror material is being developed to provide a lightweight and robust alternative to thin glass shell mirrors, with the challenge of future large deformable mirrors such as the 2.5m M4 on the E-ELT in mind. A detailed analysis of the material properties of test mirror samples is being performed at the University of Birmingham (UK), the first results of which are discussed and presented here. We discuss the project progress achieved so far, including fabrication of the 1m flat moulds for the replication process, manufacturing and testing methods for 20 cm diameter sample mirrors and system simulations.

OSCA - an optimized stellar coronagraph for adaptive optics: description and first light

We describe a coronagraph facility built for use with the 4.2 metre William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and its adaptive optics system (NAOMI). The use of the NAOMI adaptive optics system gives an improved image resolution of ~0.15 arcsec at a wavelength of 2.2 microns. This enables our Optimised Stellar Coronagraph for Adaptive optics (OSCA) to null stellar light with smaller occulting masks and thus allows regions closer to bright astronomical objects to be imaged. OSCA is a fully deployable instrument and when in use leaves the focus of the NAOMI beam unchanged. This enables OSCA to be used in conjunction with a number of instruments already commissioned at the WHT. The main imaging camera to be used with OSCA will be INGRID; a 1024×1024 HgCdTe cooled SWIR detector at the NAOMI focus. OSCA can also be used in conjunction with an integral field spectrograph for imaging at visible wavelengths. OSCA provides a selection of 10 different occulting mask sizes from 0.25 - 2.0 arcsec and some with a novel gaussian profile. There is also a choice of 2 different Lyot stops (pupil plane masks). A dichroic placed before the AO system can give us improved nulling when occulting masks larger than the seeing disk are used. We also present results from initial testing and commissioning at the William Herschel Telescope.

Influence of ply misalignment on form error in the manufacturing of CFRP mirrors

We describe our study conducted within the framework of the design of composite mirrors for use in future generation astronomical telescopes. The work is also relevant to applications requiring lightweight optics and other unidirectional-ply fibre-composite-polymer constructs that require improved accuracy of form. Misalignment of layers (plies) in a composite laminate gives an astigmatic type deformation of the surface after cure. The influence of ply misalignment on surface form has been investigated via a series of finite element analyses. Thirty-two different layup sequences have been investigated: the angular increment between each ply, the number of plies and the number of sequence repeats were varied. Samples with random alignment errors have been simulated in order to compare the robustness of these different layup sequences toward ply misalignment; some design recommendations have been made. The finite element modelling method and results are presented here.

Results from the adaptive optics coronagraph at the William Herschel Telescope

Described here is the design and commissioning of a coronagraph facility for the 4.2 metre William Herschel Telescope (WHT) and its Nasmyth Adaptive Optics system for Multi-purpose Instrumentation (NAOMI). The use of the NAOMI system gives an improved image resolution of � 0.15 arcsecs at a wavelength of 2.2� m. This enables the Optimised Stellar Coronagraph for Adaptive optics (OSCA) to suppress stellar light using smaller occulting masks and thus allows regions closer to bright astronomical objects to be imaged. OSCA provides a selection of 10 different occulting masks with sizes of 0.25 - 2.0 arcsecs in diameter, including two with full greyscale Gaussian profiles. There is also a choice of different sized and shaped Lyot stops (pupil plane masks). Computer simulations of the different coronagraphic options with the NAOMI segmented mirror have relevance for the next generation of highly segmented extremely large telescopes.

Use of a NOM profilometer to measure large aspheric surfaces

The use of autocollimator-based profilometers of the Nanometer Optical measuring Machine (NOM) design has been reported for the evaluation of X-ray optics for some time. We report a related development in the use of a non-contact NOM profilometer for the in situ measurement of base radius of curvature and conic constant for E-ELT primary mirror segments during fabrication. The instrument is unusual in NOM design in that it is deployable onto a CNC polishing machine in an industrial fabrication environment. Whilst the measurement of radius of curvature of spherical surfaces over a single scan has been reported previously, here we report on the use of this instrument to measure optical surfaces with an aspheric departure of 180 micrometers using a grid of multiple scans and bespoke surface fitting software. The repeatability of the measurement has been found to be approximately 1 mm in a measured radius of curvature of approximately 90 m. The absolute accuracy is limited by the accuracy of the calibration of the autocollimator and the in situ calibration of the instrument during operation.

WASP-147b, 160Bb, 164b, and 165b: two hot Saturns and two Jupiters, including two planets with metal-rich hosts

We report the discovery of four transiting hot Jupiters, WASP-147, WASP-160B, WASP-164 and WASP-165 from the WASP survey. WASP-147b is a near Saturn-mass (