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Hot-Slumped Glass Mirrors for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

用于切伦科夫望远镜阵列的热塌陷玻璃镜

基本信息

批准号：
ST/N003616/1
负责人：
Timothy Greenshaw
金额：
$ 6.55万
依托单位：
University of Liverpool
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2016
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2016 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=ST%2FN003616%2F1
关键词：
Hot Slumped Glass Mirrors Cherenkov

项目摘要

Gamma ray astronomy studies very energetic radiation from many different astronomical objects, such as supernova remnants and black holes, as well as seeking to learn more about the fundamentals of the Universe, such as the nature of gravity. Gamma rays do not penetrate the Earth's atmosphere, but nonetheless we can detect them from the ground. It so happens that when a gamma-ray enters the atmosphere, it creates a cascade of highly energetic particles, which in turn produces a flash of light known as Cherenkov radiation. This consists of a faint, brief flash of blue/UV light, which telescopes known as Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) can detect. This technique has been shown to work well, and has revealed to us a sky full of particle accelerators far more powerful than the LHC. Scientists from around the world, including the UK, are now building an observatory for gamma ray astronomy, the Cherenkov Telescope Array, or CTA. This will consist of about 100 telescopes for observing the southern sky, located in Chile, and about 20 telescopes for studying the northern sky, sited in the Canary Islands. Three different sizes of telescope are needed, large, medium and small, for studying the lowest, intermediate and highest energy gamma rays, respectively. The site in Chile will have all three types of telescope, while only large and medium sized telescopes are needed in the Canary Islands, where the number of visible sources of the highest energy gamma rays is small.There will be about 70 small sized telescopes in Chile. Scientists in the UK are leading the design and prototyping of a two-mirror design for these telescopes, known as the Gamma-ray Cherenkov Telescope (GCT). The mirrors for this telescope are challenging to make. All Cherenkov telescopes mirrors are concave in form. For the single-mirror telescopes that have been used until now, these have a very long focal length and the curvature of the mirrors is therefore small. This makes it possible to pull cold glass down onto a suitable mould to make the reflective surface. However, the GCT mirrors will have much greater curvature, and this makes it impossible to form cold glass to the correct shape. So, we are working with a company in St. Asaph in North Wales on a new technique to form the glass at high temperature. We have made some preliminary studies, which have been encouraging, and this grant application requests funds to take this process further, including creating the correct shape that we will need for the GCT and working with Thin Metal Films in Basingstoke to look at the best way of coating the mirror surfaces. If the project is successful, then UK companies will have a good chance of making mirrors not only for the GCT but also for an American-led dual-mirror telescope design being put forward as a medium size telescope for CTA.

伽马射线天文学研究来自许多不同天体的高能辐射，例如超新星遗迹和黑洞，并寻求更多地了解宇宙的基本原理，例如重力的本质。伽马射线不会穿透地球大气层，但我们仍然可以从地面探测到它们。碰巧的是，当伽马射线进入大气层时，它会产生一系列高能粒子，进而产生称为切伦科夫辐射的闪光。它由微弱、短暂的蓝色/紫外线闪光组成，被称为成像大气切伦科夫望远镜（IACT）的望远镜可以检测到它。这项技术已被证明运作良好，并向我们揭示了天空中充满了比大型强子对撞机强大得多的粒子加速器。包括英国在内的世界各地的科学家目前正在建造一座伽马射线天文学观测站，即切伦科夫望远镜阵列（CTA）。该项目将包括位于智利的约 100 架用于观测南部天空的望远镜，以及位于加那利群岛的约 20 架用于研究北部天空的望远镜。需要三种不同尺寸的望远镜，大、中、小，分别用于研究最低、中和最高能量的伽马射线。智利的站点将拥有全部三种类型的望远镜，而加那利群岛只需要大中型望远镜，那里最高能量伽马射线的可见源数量很少。智利将有大约70个小型望远镜。英国科学家正在主导这些望远镜的双镜设计和原型设计，即伽马射线切伦科夫望远镜（GCT）。这台望远镜的镜子的制造具有挑战性。所有切伦科夫望远镜的镜子都是凹面的。对于迄今为止使用的单镜望远镜来说，它们的焦距很长，因此镜子的曲率很小。这样就可以将冷玻璃拉到合适的模具上以制成反射表面。然而，GCT 镜子的曲率要大得多，这使得冷玻璃无法形成正确的形状。因此，我们正在与北威尔士圣亚萨的一家公司合作开发一种高温成型玻璃的新技术。我们已经做了一些令人鼓舞的初步研究，这项拨款申请要求提供资金来进一步推进这一过程，包括创建 GCT 所需的正确形状，并与贝辛斯托克的金属薄膜公司合作，寻找镀膜镜面的最佳方法。如果该项目成功，那么英国公司将有很好的机会不仅为 GCT 制造镜子，也为美国主导的双镜望远镜设计制造镜子，该双镜望远镜设计被提出作为 CTA 的中型望远镜。