pushing frontiers.
introduction.
Large ground-based telescopes are equipped with adaptive optics (AO) to correct for atmospheric disturbances. The AO input can be provided by either bright reference stars or – in the absence of such stars within the actual field of view – bright artificial stars, which can greatly increase the telescope’s sky coverage. Laser guide stars are created by using a Laser Projection System (LPS) to excite the sodium atoms (at λ = 589 nm) that originate from the ablation of micrometeorites in the Earth’s mesosphere at an altitude of ~90 km.
strong partnership.
The Laser Projection System (LPS) has a Beam Conditioning and Diagnostics System (BCDS) as one of its critical subsystems. Building on its works for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), TNO recently won the tender for the Extremely Large Telescope’s LPS. Demcon focal was challenged to design a BCDS that combines easy maintainability with strict optical requirements concerning laser beam quality and pointing stability, taking into account large thermal and mechanical load variations.
design challenges.
For the ELT project, TNO partnered with Demcon focal. Demcon focal is developing the laser beam conditioning, electronics, control systems for the laser launch telescope (BCDS). The main design challenges for this BCDS are:
- Maintain high beam quality and beam positioning for temperatures from 0 to 15 degrees C and for zenith angles ranging from 0 to 60 degrees.
- Modular design of the subsystems as line replaceable units (LRU) to allow for a time and cost-effective service on site of the ELT.
"a view on the future."
We acknowledge the profound scientific impact of the ELT, and are proud of these cross-border European innovations that advance both industry and science. We have a pleasant partnership with TNO, and we are happy to have the opportunity to position Demcon as industrial partner for aerospace applications and to give scientists the opportunity to understand more about space than ever before possible.