Anúncio
Contrato adjudicado para a fábrica de revestimento dos segmentos do espelho primário do ELT
18 de Junho de 2018
O contrato para o design, construção e instalação da fábrica de revestimento dos segmentos do espelho primário do Extremely Large Telescope do ESO foi adjudicado à empresa AGC Glass Europe, com sede na Bélgica. A companhia será responsável pela construção da fábrica no Observatório do Paranal do ESO, no norte do Chile, a qual será usada para revestir os segmentos individuais do espelho primário do telescópio com uma camada protetora de prata altamente refletora.
O contrato foi assinado por Patrick van Bordel, vice-Presidente da Industrial Glass and New Businesses, AGC Glass Europe, e por Xavier Barcons, Diretor Geral do ESO, numa cerimónia que decorreu na Sede do ESO em Garching, na Alemanha, a 18 de Junho de 2018. Um terceiro signatário, Philippe Bastien, Presidente Regional da Building and Industrial Glass, AGC Glass Europe, não pôde comparecer à cerimónia de assinatura, tendo por isso assinado o contrato antes do evento.
Christian Klima, Cônsul Honorário do Reino da Bélgica na Baviera, e Quentin Derzelle, Adido Comercial do Consulado Honorário do Reino da Bélgica na Baviera, estiveram também presentes, assim como o Delegado belga ao Comité Financeiro do ESO, Alain Heynen do Belspo.
O Extremely Large Telescope do ESO — atualmente em construção no Cerro Armazones, no cimo do deserto do Atacama — terá um espelho primário de 39 metros de diâmetro composto por 798 segmentos de espelho individuais.
A fábrica de revestimento planeada fará uso de um processo conhecido por pulverização catódica para revestir cada espelho individual com uma fina camada de prata e um revestimento protetor. Utiliza-se atualmente um processo semelhante para revestir de alumínio os espelhos de 8,2 metros do Very Large Telescope. No entanto, ao usar uma camada refletora de prata, o ELT poderá colectar mais luz, permitindo aos astrónomos observar o céu noturno com um detalhe extraordinário.
Os contratos para o molde e o polimento dos segmentos de espelho foram já assinados. Os 798 segmentos hexagonais serão fabricados com o material cerâmico de baixa expansão Zerodur® da SCHOTT, antes de serem entregues à Safran Reosc, que conceberá as interfaces de montagem, polirá os segmentos, integra-los-á nos seus sistemas de suporte e executará seguidamente testes ópticos antes de os entregar [1].
O novo contrato assegura a fábrica para revestir os segmentos de espelho, tanto antes como durante as operações do ELT. Quando o espelho gigante começar a ser exposto ao céu noturno todas as noites, os segmentos de espelho começarão a acumular pó e tornar-se-ão menos refletores com o tempo, tendo por isso que ser revestidos regularmente, à taxa de vários segmentos por dia.
A AGC Glass Europe tem uma longa história de inovação em tecnologia de vidro e usará a sua experiência para fazer face ao desafio de manter o espelho do ELT no topo do seu desempenho óptico, permitindo assim ao ESO investigar alguns dos maiores desafios científicos da nossa época.
Notas
[1] As irregularidades na superfície de cada segmento de espelho serão inferiores a 10 nanómetros, o que corresponde a uma precisão extraordinária: cerca de 10 mil vezes inferior à espessura de um fio de cabelo humano. Se os segmentos de espelho tivessem o tamanho da França, as maiores irregularidades teriam o tamanho de uma joaninha.
Links
Contactos
Pierre Sansgasset
Coating System Engineer
ESO Paranal Observatory
II Región, Chile
Tel: +56 55 2435 5264
Email: psansgas@eso.org
Richard Hook
ESO Public Information Officer
Garching bei München, Alemanha
Tel: +49 89 3200 6655
Telm: +49 151 1537 3591
Email: pio@eso.org
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