JCMT Telescope structure modifications and facility upgrades for SCUBA-2 instrument

Tomas Chylek; Simon C. Craig; Timothy C. Chuter; Harry J. Lewsley; Edward A. Hileman

doi:10.1117/12.672615

23 June 2006 JCMT Telescope structure modifications and facility upgrades for SCUBA-2 instrument

Tomas Chylek, Simon C. Craig, Timothy C. Chuter, Harry J. Lewsley, Edward A. Hileman

Proceedings Volume 6267, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes; 62673L (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672615
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2006, Orlando, Florida , United States

Abstract

The James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on the summit of Mauna Kea is currently undergoing significant structural upgrade in order to accommodate the new generation instrument SCUBA-2 (Submillimeter Common-User Bolometric Array) which is being developed by the United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre (UK ATC). This four tonne instrument will be located at the Nasmyth focus of the telescope and will require five large auxiliary external warm mirrors to be installed on the telescope structure and in the receiver cabin along with dedicated automatically deployable tertiary mirror. The carousel of the observatory building as well as the original telescope structure was not designed for an instrument of this mass and complexity. The whole left Nasmyth platform of the telescope has to be removed and rebuilt in order to accommodate the instrument, its support structure and the warm optics. The floor of the observatory has to be reinforced and fitted with rail system and a scissor lift in order to handle the installation of the instrument on the telescope and removal from the telescope for maintenance. Details are given of particular challenges associated with handling, mechanical interfacing, optical alignment, design of the external warm mirrors mounts and the tertiary mirror deployment mechanism for SCUBA-2.

Citation Download Citation

Tomas Chylek, Simon C. Craig, Timothy C. Chuter, Harry J. Lewsley, and Edward A. Hileman "JCMT Telescope structure modifications and facility upgrades for SCUBA-2 instrument", Proc. SPIE 6267, Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes, 62673L (23 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672615

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