Composite panels for optical mirrors for Cherenkov Telescopes: development of the cold glass slumping technology
Composite panels for optical mirrors for Cherenkov Telescopes: development of the cold glass slumping technology
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切伦科夫望远镜光学镜复合板：冷玻璃塌陷技术的开发
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发表时间：
2010
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通讯作者：
L. Lessio
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作者：
R. Canestrari;G. Motta;G. Pareschi;Stefano Basso;M. Doro;E. Giro;L. Lessio
在过去的十年里，为地面高能天体物理学打开了一扇新的窗口。它利用成像大气切伦科夫望远镜（IACTs）探索从100 GeV到10 TeV的能带。在甚高能（VHE）伽马射线天文学的研究正在迅速改善，并由于最新的设施，如MAGIC，HESS和VERITAS天文学家和粒子物理学家正在获得令人惊讶的影响，在理论模型。新的项目已经开始，如欧洲切伦科夫望远镜阵列（CTA）和美国高级伽马射线成像系统（AGIS）。其目的是提高灵敏度和能带覆盖率，以执行源的成像、光度测量和光谱测量。在这个框架中，必须制造、测试和安装数万个光学镜面板。由于反射镜的数量如此之多，必须开发一种易于转移到工业大规模生产的技术，但要保持下一代TeV望远镜的技术和成本效益要求。在这方面，布雷拉天文台（INAF-OAB）正在研究一种技术，用于制造具有适度角分辨率的刚性和轻质玻璃镜面板。这些面板具有复合材料的类似于玻璃的结构，在芯材的两侧具有两个薄玻璃表皮;反射表皮使用特别的塌陷过程进行光学成形。这里提出的技术是特别有吸引力的大规模生产的成本效益的反射镜段的曲率半径长，如在下一代切伦科夫望远镜的主镜所需的。在本文中，我们提出并讨论了一些相关的结果，我们已经从最新的面板实现。
In the last decade a new window for ground-based high energy astrophysics has been opened. It explores the energy band from about 100 GeV to 10 TeV making use of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs). Research in Very High Energy (VHE) gamma-ray astronomy is improving rapidly and thanks to the newest facilities as MAGIC, HESS and VERITAS astronomers and particle physicists are obtaining surprising implications in the theoretical models. New projects have been started as the European Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) and the U.S. Advanced Gamma-ray Imaging System (AGIS). The aim is to enhance both the sensitivity and the energy band coverage to perform imaging, photometry and spectroscopy of sources. In this framework, tens of thousands of optical mirror panels have to be manufactured, tested and mounted into the telescopes. Because of this high number of mirrors it is mandatory to develop a technique easily transferable to industrial mass production, but keeping the technical and cost-effectiveness requirements of the next generation of TeV telescopes. In this context the Astronomical Observatory of Brera (INAF-OAB) is investigating a technique for the manufacturing of stiff and lightweight glass mirror panels with modest angular resolution. These panels have a composite sandwich-like structure with two thin glass skins on both sides of a core material; the reflecting skin is optically shaped using an ad-hoc slumping procedure. The technology here presented is particularly attractive for the mass production of cost-effective mirror segments with long radius of curvature like those required in the primary mirrors of the next generation of Cherenkov telescopes. In this paper we present and discuss some relevant results we have obtained from the latest panels realized.