摘要
China’s ambition to build a 12 m aperture optical/infrared telescope in Tibet has been recently challenged by intense disputes over its design options.The Large Optical/Infrared Telescope,or LOT,which will become the world’s biggest upon completion before the 30 m-level ones are in place,is expected to give Chinese astronomers a head start in exploring the early universe and exoplanets among other scientific goals.However,optical engineers and scientists are holding on to very different opinions as for what is the best technical route to get there.
China＇s ambition to build a 12 m aperture optical/ infrared telescope in Tibet has been recently challenged by intense disputes over its design options. The Large Optical/Infrared Telescope, or LOT, which will become the world＇s biggest upon completion before the 30 m-level ones are in place, is expected to give Chinese astronomers a head start in exploring the early universe and exoplanets among other scientific goals. However, optical engineers and scientists are holding on to very different opinions as for what is the best technical route to get there.
