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Espejo Súper Delgado Para Imágenes Más Precisas de Estrellas
Entregado un nuevo componente de óptica adaptativa al VLT de ESO
2 de Marzo de 2012
La empresa francesa SAGEM ha entregado un espejo sorprendentemente delgado para el telescopio VLT de ESO. Tiene 1.120 milímetros de largo, pero sólo 2 milímetros de grosor, lo que lo hace mucho más fino que la mayor parte de los vidrios de las ventanas convencionales.
Este espejo tenía que ser lo suficientemente fino como para actuar igual que una película flexible. Una vez instalado en el telescopio, la forma de su superficie reflectora cambiará constantemente con pequeños impulsos con el fin de corregir los efectos de la atmósfera terrestre que emborronan la imagen, proporcionando imágenes mucho más precisas.
Este espejo es una lámina de material cerámico que ha sido pulido para darle una forma muy precisa. El proceso de fabricación se inicia con un bloque de Zerodur cerámico, proporcionado por la empresa Schott Glass (Alemania), que tiene un grosor de más de 70 milímetros. La mayor parte de este material se elimina para crear la fina lámina. El reto consiste en aplicar muy poca presión y bajos niveles de estrés al vidrio durante el proceso de fabricación.
Fabricar y probar un espejo de este tamaño con esa flexibilidad es un gran reto, pero SAGEM lo ha logrado controlando con mucho cuidado los riesgos durante el proceso de fabricación y ha entregado un espejo delgado que cumple con los requerimientos de ESO.
El nuevo espejo es uno de los componentes principales del espejo secundario deformable que reemplazará al espejo secundario actual en uno de los cuatro Telescopios Unitarios VLT. Esto forma parte del nuevo Sistema de Óptica Adaptativa para los VLT. Todo el espejo secundario ha sido construido en torno a un “cuerpo de referencia” rígido (ann1056) e incluye un conjunto de 1.170 actuadores que aplican fuerza sobre 1.170 imanes pegados a la parte trasera de la lámina. La forma de la superficie reflectante del espejo delgado se deformará más de mil veces por segundo por la acción de esos actuadores, que corregirán así los efectos de las turbulencias de la atmósfera de la Tierra, proporcionando imágenes mucho más definidas y precisas.
El Sistema de Óptica Adaptativa utilizará también la tecnología de guiado por estrella láser, que se está desarrollando en paralelo (ann12012).
Desde 2004, ESO, con ayuda de la Comisión Europea, ha financiado iniciativas para el desarrollo de conocimiento en la fabricación de espejos delgados en Europa. ESO se siente satisfecho al ver el fruto de esos esfuerzos, gracias a la capacidad y la determinación de SAGEM.
El nuevo espejo delgado y el sistema de óptica adaptativa del que forma parte, abren el camino del próximo proyecto de ESO: el E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope, Telescopio Europeo Extremadamente Grande). Este trabajo da un paso adelante en el progreso de tecnologías avanzadas, como la de los espejos deformables con un gran número de actuadores y la fabricación de espejos delgados. Estas tecnologías pueden aplicarse directamente al enorme telescopio de tipo 40 metros y el diseño del futuro E-ELT ya incluye un espejo delgado deformable de 2,4 metros, inspirado principalmente en el espejo deformable del Sistema de Óptica Adaptativa.
Enlaces
- Departamento de Óptica Adaptativa en ESO
- Folleto del Sistema de Óptica Adaptativa (AOF, Adaptive Opticas Facility) en ESO (archive PDF)
Contactos
Robin Arsenault
ESO, Alemania
Tel: +49 89 3200 6524
Email: rarsenau@eso.org
Richard Hook
Responsable de Prensa de ESO, La Silla, Paranal y E-ELT
Garching (Munich, Alemania)
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Email: rhook@eso.org
Valentina Rodríguez
Encargada de Prensa de ESO en Chile
Santiago, Chile
Tlf.: +562 4633123
Correo electrónico: vrodrigu@eso.org
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