Performance prediction of the TMT tertiary mirror support system

Myung K. Cho

doi:10.1117/12.789292

23 July 2008 Performance prediction of the TMT tertiary mirror support system

Myung K. Cho

Proceedings Volume 7018, Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation; 70184F (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789292
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2008, Marseille, France

Abstract

The Ritchey-Chretien (RC) optical design of Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) calls for a 3.1m diameter secondary mirror (M2M) and an elliptical tertiary mirror (M3M) of 3.5m along its major axis and 2.5m along its minor axis. The M3M is a thin, large, flat, solid elliptical mirror which directs the f/15 beam from the M2M to the multiple instruments on both Nasmyth platforms. The M3M will weigh approximately two metric tons and the mirror support system will maintain the mirror figure at different gravity orientations. A recent reduction of the field of view to 15 arc minutes allows a reduction in the size of the M3M, which in turn requires re-optimization of the mirror support system. The proposed M3M optimized support system consists of 60 tri-axial supports mounted at the mirror back surface. These tri-axial supports accommodate motions of M3M in three gravity directions. The print-though RMS surface errors of M3M are 10nm for axial gravity loadings and 1nm for lateral gravity loadings. The M3 system (M3S) has an active optics (aO) capability to accommodate potential mechanical or thermal errors; its ability to correct low-order aberrations has been analyzed. A structure function (SF) of the axial gravity support print-through was calculated.

Citation Download Citation

Myung K. Cho "Performance prediction of the TMT tertiary mirror support system", Proc. SPIE 7018, Advanced Optical and Mechanical Technologies in Telescopes and Instrumentation, 70184F (23 July 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789292

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