Safe and Easy Cleaning of Astronomical Mirrors with UV Lasers

将进行可行性研究，以确定紫外准分子激光是否可以用于清洁被天文反射镜上发现的典型污染物污染的铝涂层反射镜样品。下面列出了这个程序的具体任务。建立激光清洗实验室，用于清洗镜面样品和测量该技术的有效性。镀铝镜面样品应人工污染天文镜面周围常见的污染物（如来自马努纳克亚山和亚利桑那州的沙尘），并进行紫外线激光清洗。清洗参数（如激光辐照度、每个部位的注射次数）应改变，以确定最佳的清洗程序。镜面反射率应在污染前、污染后和激光清洗后测量。镀铝镜样品应分发到选定的天文台，使其暴露在与主镜相同的污染物中。这些镜面样品应返回进行激光清洗测试。镜面样品的反射率应在运送到天文台前、收到污染镜面样品后、激光清洗后进行测量。

A feasibility study will be conducted to determine whether UV excimer lasers can be used to clean aluminum-coated mirror samples that have been contaminated by typical contaminants found on astronomical mirrors. Specific tasks for this program are listed below. A laser cleaning laboratory for cleaning the mirror samples and measuring the effectiveness of the technique shall be set up. Aluminum-coated mirror samples shall be artificially contaminated with contaminants typically found around astronomical mirrors (e.g. sand dust from Manuna Kea and Arizona) and UV laser cleaned. The cleaning parameters (e.g. laser fluence, number of shots per site) shall be varied in order to determine the optimum cleaning procedure. The mirror reflectivity shall be measured before contamination, after contamination, and after laser cleaning. Aluminum-coated mirror samples shall be distributed to selected astronomical observatories to be exposed to the same contaminants that the primary mirror experiences. These mirror samples shall be returned for laser cleaning tests. The reflectivity of the mirror samples shall be measured before shipping to the observatories, after receiving the contaminated mirror samples, and after laser cleaning.