Related papers: Stress mirror polishing for future large lightweig…
In this paper we are exploring the possibilities of 3D printing in the fabrication of mirrors for astronomy. Taking the advantages of 3D printing to solve the existing problems caused by traditional manufacturing, two proof-of-concept…
3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, offers a new vision for optical fabrication in term of achievable optical quality and reduction of weight and cost. In this paper we describe two different ways to use this technique in the…
Active optics techniques in astronomy provide high imaging quality. This paper is dedicated to highly deformable active optics that can generate non-axisymmetric aspheric surfaces-or freeform surfaces-by use of a minimum number of…
Fabricating freeform mirrors relies on accurate optical figuring processes capable of arbitrarily modifying low-spatial frequency height without creating higher-spatial frequency errors. We present a scalable process to accurately figure…
Current methods for fabricating lenses rely on mechanical processing of the lens or mold, such as grinding, machining, and polishing. The complexity of these fabrication processes and the required specialized equipment prohibit rapid…
This article presents a new and individual way to generate opto-mechanical components by Additive Manufacturing, embedded in an established process chain for the fabrication of metal optics. The freedom of design offered by additive…
We introduce an efficient and scalable method for density-based multi-material topology optimization, integrating classical mirror descent techniques with point-wise polytopal design constraints. Such constraints arise naturally in this…
We present a method for the manufacturing of thin shells of glass, which appears promising for the development of active optics for future space telescopes. The method exploits the synergy of different mature technologies, while leveraging…
Creating spherical initial conditions in smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations that are spherically conformal is a difficult task. Here, we describe two algorithmic methods for evenly distributing points on surfaces, that when paired…
Stress-induced shaping, which deforms thin substrates utilizing stressed surface coatings, has enabled and enhanced a host of applications in past decades. Owing to the touchless fabrication process compatible with modern planar technology,…
In-space manufacturing technologies are vital for enabling advanced space missions and addressing logistical limitations of space exploration. While additive manufacturing has progressed rapidly, it still falls short of delivering the…
Aims: To propose a method for the polarimetric calibration of large astronomical mirrors that does not require use of special optical devices nor knowledge of the exact polarization properties of the calibration target. Methods: We study…
Some methods based on simple regularizing geometric element transformations have heuristically been shown to give runtime efficient and quality effective smoothing algorithms for meshes. We describe the mathematical framework and a…
With the commissioning of the refurbished adaptive secondary mirror (ASM) for the 6.5-meter MMT Observatory under way, special consideration had to be made to properly calibrate the mirror response functions to generate an interaction…
We present a method for the production of segmented optics. It is a novel processing developed at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera (INAF-OAB) employing commercial of-the-shelf materials. It is based on the shaping of thin glass foils…
This paper describes a concept for the high-accuracy absolute calibration of the instrumental polarization introduced by the primary mirror of a large-aperture telescope. This procedure requires a small aperture with polarization…
We introduce an adaptive optical refinement method enabling ultra-precise micro-milling of arbitrary surfaces. Through repeated iteration, our method reduces surface error without requiring significant specific surface engineering. This…
Point Spread Function (PSF) modeling is a central part of any astronomy data analysis relying on measuring the shapes of objects. It is especially crucial for weak gravitational lensing, in order to beat down systematics and allow one to…
Imaging through complex scattering media is severely limited by aberrations and scattering which obscure images and reduce resolution. Confocal and temporal gatings partly filter out multiple scattering but are severely degraded by…
X-ray mirrors with high focusing performances are in use in both mirror modules for X-ray telescopes and in synchrotron and FEL (Free Electron Laser) beamlines. A degradation of the focus sharpness arises in general from geometrical…