Chopping Secondary Mirrors For Infrared Astronomy With The Multiple Mirror Telescope

T. N. Gautier III; W. F. Hoffmann; F. J. Low; M. A. Reed; G. H. Rieke

doi:10.1117/12.957066

3 May 1979 Chopping Secondary Mirrors For Infrared Astronomy With The Multiple Mirror Telescope

T. N. Gautier III, W. F. Hoffmann, F. J. Low, M. A. Reed, G. H. Rieke

Proceedings Volume 0172, Instrumentation in Astronomy III; (1979) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.957066
Event: Instrumentation in Astronomy, 1979, Tucson, United States

Abstract

The technique of rapidly wobbling the secondary mirror of a reflecting telescope to modulate the energy from an astronomical source by moving its image on and off of an aperture in the telescope's focal plane has been used with great success for a number of years on many ground based and airborne infrared telescopes. Such a secondary modulating system involving six synchronized secondaries of 23.5 cm diameter has been designed for use on the Multiple Mirror Telescope. One prototype mechanism using a linear servo drive system has been constructed and tested both in the laboratory and on the MMT itself. For image displacements up to about 20 arc seconds on the sky, the prototype is capable of a rise time of 2 ms and of operation at frequencies up to 80 Hz with a square wave driving signal. Larger displacements up to more than 120 arc seconds are available, but with a rise time of 4 ms. Adjustable hard stops and electronics to drive the secondary mechanism against these stops have been incorporated to provide a back up capability to the linear servo. Seven copies of the prototype are now in production and are expected to be in operation on the MMT in the spring of 1979.

Citation Download Citation

T. N. Gautier III, W. F. Hoffmann, F. J. Low, M. A. Reed, and G. H. Rieke "Chopping Secondary Mirrors For Infrared Astronomy With The Multiple Mirror Telescope", Proc. SPIE 0172, Instrumentation in Astronomy III, (3 May 1979); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.957066

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available