Re-aluminization of the 6.5m primary mirror at the MMT Observatory

William Goble; J. Duane Gibson; Dallan Porter; Ricardo Ortiz

doi:10.1117/12.2314386

6 July 2018 Re-aluminization of the 6.5m primary mirror at the MMT Observatory

William Goble, J. Duane Gibson, Dallan Porter, Ricardo Ortiz

Proceedings Volume 10700, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII; 1070049 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2314386
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2018, Austin, Texas, United States

Abstract

The MMT Observatory (MMTO) initiated a series of coating process improvement projects after an issue with the coating system in 2010 resulted in blemishes on the 6.5m primary mirror coating. Formally started in 2013, these projects focused on four major tasks: 1) development of a software-based system to control the tungsten filament power sources, 2) characterization of an integrally wound tungsten and aluminum filament, 3) prevent stray molten aluminum droplets from contacting the isolation membrane separating the high and rough vacuum sections of the system, and 4) assemble a coating facility capable of performing full-scale system testing. The completion of these projects was realized with the successful re-aluminization of the MMTO primary mirror in 2016. With a focus on the implementation of the process improvements, the present state of the MMTO coating system is described along with data from the 2016 realuminization.

Citation Download Citation

William Goble, J. Duane Gibson, Dallan Porter, and Ricardo Ortiz "Re-aluminization of the 6.5m primary mirror at the MMT Observatory ", Proc. SPIE 10700, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII, 1070049 (6 July 2018); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2314386

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