Photogrammetry technique is widely used for the initial alignment of main-reflector panels of millimeter/ submillimeter-wave telescopes by analyzing a great number of photos of the reflector at the rest state taken from different angles and distances. In this study, we investigated a possibility that the photogrammetry can be applied for real-time surface measurements which is important to realize active surface controls that improve reflector surface accuracy during scientific observations. The technique is important especially for realizing larger aperture and higher frequency telescopes. We developed a simulator to investigate the accuracy of the surface measurements with photos taken with fixed cameras mounted on the stays of the sub-reflector. As a result, we found that the accuracy of surface measurement is roughly inversely proportional to square-root of the number of fixed cameras, and the calculation time roughly proportional to the product of the numbers of cameras and measurement points. For the case of Nobeyama 45-m telescope, the accuracy of 1 mm (rms) was achieved for 164 surface points by 10 cameras with a calculation time of ∼2 sec by a developed python code using a single-core Xeon processor. In order to improve the accuracy with a minimum number of cameras, more various camera positions (e.g., surrounding the vertex hole of the main reflector and surrounding the main reflector) should be investigated, and their combination should be optimized. Applying high-performing technologies such as multiprocessors and/or GPUs, faster calculation is to be considered.
Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) is an 870 Mega pixel prime focus camera for the 8.2 m Subaru telescope. The wide field corrector delivers sharp image of 0.25 arc-sec FWHM in r-band over the entire 1.5 degree (in diameter) field of view. The collimation of the camera with respect to the optical axis of the primary mirror is realized by hexapod actuators whose mechanical accuracy is few microns. As a result, we expect to have seeing limited image most of the time. Expected median seeing is 0.67 arc-sec FWHM in i-band. The sensor is a p-ch fully depleted CCD of 200 micron thickness (2048 x 4096 15 μm square pixel) and we employ 116 of them to pave the 50 cm focal plane. Minimum interval between exposures is roughly 30 seconds including reading out arrays, transferring data to the control computer and saving them to the hard drive. HSC uniquely features the combination of large primary mirror, wide field of view, sharp image and high sensitivity especially in red. This enables accurate shape measurement of faint galaxies which is critical for planned weak lensing survey to probe the nature of dark energy. The system is being assembled now and will see the first light in August 2012.
We present the development status of the laser system for Subaru Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics System. We are manufacturing the quasi-continuous-wave sum frequency laser as a prototype. The optical efficiency of sum frequency generation normalized by the mode-locked fundamental YAG (1064 nm) laser output power is achieved to be 14 % using the non-linear crystal, periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate (PPKTP). Output power at sodium D2 line was about 260 mW. The optical relay fiber and the laser launching telescope are also described in this paper. For the optical relay fiber, we are testing an index guided photonic crystal fiber (PCF), whose core material is filled by fused silica, and whose clad has close-packed air holes in two dimension. The coupling efficiency was evaluated as about 80 % using 1mW He-Ne laser. We introduce the design of laser launching telescope (LLT), which is a copy of VLT laser launching telescope, and the interface to the Subaru Telescope.
The Subaru Telescope has been stably operated with high image quality since common use began in December 2000. We have updated the following items in order to achieve further improvement of observation efficiency, image quality, and tracking. 1. High reflectivity of mirrors. The reflectivity of the primary mirror has been maintained, yielding 84% at 670 nm by regular CO2 cleaning (every two to three weeks). We successfully carried out the silver coating of the Infrared secondary mirror in April 2003 without over-coating. The reflectivity has been maintained at greater 98% at 1,300 nm. 2. Image Quality. Subaru telescope delivers exceptional image quality {a median image size of 0.6 arc-second FWHM in the R-band as taken by Auto-Guider Cameras at all four foci; Prime, Cassegrain, and two Nasmyth. We optimized parameters of the servo control system of the Elevation servo, reducing the amplitude of 3{8 Hz vibration mode of the telescope and improving image quality when using the Adaptive Optics (AO) system. 3. Acquisition Guiding. Dithering time was shortened by updating the control software. The slit viewer camera for HDS and the fiber bundle for FMOS are available for acquisition guiding in addition to Auto-Guider Cameras. 4. New instruments. We are developing a new prime focus unit for FMOS and will start functional tests in 2005. Moreover, we have started to prepare new interfaces and facilities for FMOS and the new 188 element AO natural/laser guide star system. The focus switching time
will be shortened by updating the hardware of the IR and Cassegrain Optical secondary mirrors from September 2004, reducing it to 10 minutes to switch the focus between Cassegrain and Nasmyth foci.
The SUBARU Telescope has four focal positions to allow different types of astronomical instrument. At present, there are four different Top Units; three types of secondary mirrors and one primary focus unit. IR secondary mirror which is one of the three units, has silver coated surface. Other secondary mirrors are coated by aluminum for observations at visible wavelength. The silver coating for IR secondary mirror was first carried out in 1999 at the medium size (1.6 m) vacuum evaporation chamber in Mitaka campus of NAOJ at Tokyo JAPAN. Since then the reflectivity had deteriorated over the years. Then, we made a plan to recoat IR secondary mirror in 2003 using the SUBARU’s large-size vacuum evaporation chamber at the summit facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. Some tests were performed for silver vacuum evaporation at the base facility, and then the IR secondary mirror was recoated at the summit. The reflectivity achieves 97.6% and 99.3% at the wavelength of 500 nm and 2000 nm, respectively. Degradation of the coat has not been seen 8 months after recoating. We also performed the recoating of the aluminum surface of the primary mirror in 2003. This year we made effort to simplify the procedure. The reflectivity is 91.2% and 97.4% at the wavelength of 500 nm and 2000 nm, respectively.
The SUBARU Telescope has four focal positions to allow different types of instruments. At present, there are four different Top Units; three types of secondary mirrors and one primary focus unit. These units have the weight of about 3 tons, and they need to be installed or changed high above in the air, with the telescope in its rest position, namely, pointed to the zenith. In order to carry out this exchange work safely and securely, in already a difficult working condition of high altitude place like Mauna Kea, we developed an automatic exchanger with remote control, called Top Unit Exchanger (TUE).
We would like to present the procedure of how to prepare the primary mirror of Subaru Telescope for the realuminization. The equipment for the coating and its preparation are located at the ground floor of the telescope enclosure. There are two trolleys for carrying the mirror cell and the mirror itself, a mirror lifting jig, a washing facility for the primary mirror (PMWF), the water purification system, the coating chamber and the waste water pit. The PMWF can provide the tap water for initial rinsing, the chemical for stripping the old coating, and the deionized water for final cleaning. It has two pairs of arms that deploy horizontally above the mirror and have nozzles to spray. The arms spin around its center where the rotary joints are connected to the plumbing from storage tanks. Deck above the water arms serve as platform for personnel for the inspection or for scrubbing work.
We use hydrochloric acid mixture to remove the old aluminum coating. For rinsing and final cleaning, we use the water through the purification system. The water supply from the nozzles and the rotation of the arms can be controlled from a panel separated from the washing machine itself. After several experiments and improvements in the washing, we have carried out the coating of the 8.3 m primary mirror in September last year. This was the third time, and the reflectivity of the new coating show satisfactory result.
I will report on the deformation of the Subaru Telescope primary mirror surface due to wind pressure. The 261 actuators, controlled precisely down to 0.01 N level, together with 3 fixed points maintains the optical figure of the primary mirror. The extra-force exerted by wind pressure, however, pushes the actuator pistons to cause their displacement while not affecting the fixed points. This results in an overall deformation of the primary mirror, which we measured. We first measured the difference in the actuator force of the sensors with and without wind pressure, i.e., with the dome shutter opened and closed. The force were then converted to the displacement of the 261 actuator pistons. The experiment was made under the wind speed of 5m/s with the telescope pointing toward the wind at elevations 30 and 60 degrees. The deformation pattern at EL=30 was triangular with three fixed points protruding, while that at EL=60 was saddle with the left and right pushed back. The value of deformation was ~2um. The patterns were interpreted that the wind pushes the entire mirror surface at EL=30 while it lifts the bottom part up at EL=60.
We describe the silver coating of 1.3-m secondary nirror being used for infrared observations at Subaru Telescope. This was the first successful in-house runof silve coating on thelarge moern astronimical mirror. Silver was desposited over the chromium bondange layer, using a 1.6-m vacuum coating chamber at the Advanced technology Center of the National Astronomical Obervatoryof Japan in March 1998. The reflectnc eand scatter performnce are measured by micrScan at 670 nm and 1300 nm. Monitor over 17 month shows the silve coated mirror continues to maintain high refleciton.
After the initial coating of the 8.3-m primary mirror of the Subaru Telescope in November 1998, we have conducted the first re-aluminization in August 1999. The primary mirror washing fixture worked efficiently for stripping the old coating and for washing the surface. Dry process is still to be improved. Suite of secondary and tertiary mirrors are being tested at the telescope, two of which were coated in- house, one in silver for the infrared observations and the other in aluminum for the optical observations, respectively. Evaluation of the coating film is conducted in two methods. Using a portable microScan, the reflectivity and the BRDF numbers of the primary mirror is monitored. Reflectivity over a wide range of the wavelength is measured in the witness mirrors. The preliminary data shows reasonably good number for the telescope optics. The in-situ cleaning of the primary mirror with solid and gaseous CO2 sprinkle arms is operating once every month. Next step for the coating chamber commissioning is to improve the heating capacity for silver coating of the infrared secondary and tertiary mirrors, and the experiment for silver coating is going.
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