Analysis of optical axis deviation caused by structural stiffness in equatorial telescopes

The impact of structural stiffness on optical axis deviation poses a significant challenge in the design of equatorial telescope structures.A comprehensive analysis during the design process can reduce the reliance of a telescope on advanced control technologies,thereby improving its economic feasibility.Although full-system finite element analyses are reliable,they are encumbered by significant time requirements and limitations in covering all possible telescope orientations.Therefore,we propose an efficient and comprehensive analytical method to evaluate the optical axis deviation of equatorial telescopes across a full range of angles.To address the challenge of ensuring that the analysis covers all possible positions of an equatorial telescope,based on a model from SiTian project,we analyze the optical axis deviations caused by the fork arm at 25 different angles and then use fitting methods to obtain results for all angles.Based on the analysis results of the optical axis deviation caused by the stiffness of the optical tube in the horizontal position,we derive the results for the tube at any position using geometric relationships.Finally,we calculate the coupling factors and combine these impacts.Furthermore,we identify six discrete feature points to reflect possible telescope orientations and conduct comprehensive finite element analyses.The results are in alignment with those acquired through a comprehensive computational approach.

A high-contrast imaging coronagraph for segmented-mirror large aperture telescopes using a spatial light modulator

The primary mirrors of current and future large telescopes always employ a segmented mirror configuration.The small but non-negligible gaps between neighboring segments cause additional diffraction,which restricts the performance of high-contrast coronagraph.To solve this problem,we propose a coronagraph system based on a single liquid crystal spatial light modulator(SLM).This spatial light modulator is used for amplitude apodization,and its feasibility and potential performance are demonstrated using a laboratory setup using the stochastic parallel gradient descent(SPGD)algorithm to control the spatial light modulator,which is based on point spread function(PSF)sensing and evaluation and optimized for maximum contrast in the discovery working area as a merit function.The system delivers a contrast in the order of 10−6,and shows excellent potential to be used in current and future large aperture telescopes,both on the ground and in space.

Integrated Test System for Large-aperture Telescopes Based on Astrophotonics Interconnections

This study aims to improve the integrated testing of large-aperture telescopes to clarify the fundamental principles of an integrated testing system based on astrophotonics.Our demonstration and analyses focused on element-position sensing and modulation based on spatial near-geometric beams,high-throughput step-difference measurements based on channel spectroscopy,distributed broadband-transmittance testing,and standard spectral tests based on near-field energy regulation.Comprehensive analyses and experiments were conducted to confirm the feasibility of the proposed system in the integrated testing process of large-aperture telescopes.The results demonstrated that the angular resolution of the light rays exceeded 5arcsec,which satisfies the requirements for component-position detection in future large-aperture telescopes.The measurement resolution of the wavefront tilt was better than 0.45μrad.Based on the channel spectral method—which combined a high signal-to-noise ratio and high sensitivity,along with continuous-spectral digital segmentation and narrowband-spectral physical segmentation—a resolution of 0.050μm and a range of 50μm were obtained.After calibration,the measurement resolution of the pupil deviation improved to exceed 4%accuracy,and the transmission measurements achieved a consistency of over 2%accuracy.Regarding fringe-broadband interferometry measurements,the system maintained high stability,ensuring its operation within the coherence length,and robustly detected the energy without unwrapping the phase.The use of a projector for calibrating broadband-spectrum measurements led to a reduction in contrast from 0.8142 to 0.6038,which further validates the system's applicability in the integrated testing process of large-aperture telescopes.This study greatly enhanced the observational capabilities of large-aperture telescopes while reducing the integrated system's volume,weight,and power consumption.

Two annular CsI(Tl) detector arrays for the charged particle telescopes

In this study,we constructed two annular detector arrays comprising 24 wedge-shaped CsI(Tl) crystals,and tested them using anαsource and radioactive beams of ^(14-16) Con a CD_2 target.We compared the properties of a CsI(Tl) crystal encapsulated with various reflectors,revealing that using the 80-μm-thick ESR film to pack the CsI(Tl) crystal yielded the largest light output with the smallest non-uniformity in light output (ΔLO).For the 24 CsI(Tl) detectors with the 80-μm-thick ESR films,the average energy resolution improved as the average light output increased;however,it deteriorated as theΔLO value increased.To form two annular Si-CsI(Tl) telescopes for identifying the light-charged particles,theΔLO value and energy resolution of each CsI(Tl) detector were maintained under 20%and 7.7%,respectively.These telescopes were tested for the first time in a direct nuclear reaction experiment using ^(14-16) C+d.The results demonstrated that the Z=1 and Z=2 charged particles were adequately discriminated by the telescopes using the standardΔE-E method.

Design and application of an autonomous Master Control System for a multi-layer magnetic and helioseismic telescope

With the growing significance of space weather forecasting,multi-layer magnetic and helioseismic telescopes are emerging as a key area of research.However,owing to the diverse operational processes and sophisticated hardware configurations of these devices,there is an urgent need for efficient autonomous observation capabilities.An autonomous Master Control System(MCS)can ensure efficient performance,data consistency,and stability,and the prototype presented here adopts a microservices architecture,breaking down the hardware into multiple subsystems and converting their functions into individual services.A central decision-making system leads the operations,supported by three auxiliary systems and three device control systems.Through inter-subsystem service calls,it achieves rapid imaging and spectroscopic monitoring.To verify system stability and observation efficiency,the system was tested on the Solar Full-disk Multi-layer Magnetograph.Experimental results verify this system can operate automatically for 4 consecutive months,acquire photospheric vector magnetic and Doppler velocity fields within a 15-minute interval,and measure chromospheric longitudinal magnetic and Doppler velocity fields in under 180 s.This ensures consistent and stable solar monitoring and serves as a practical methodological benchmark for the development of similar devices.

Basic Survey Scheduling for the Wide Field Survey Telescope(WFST)

Aiming at improving the survey efficiency of the Wide Field Survey Telescope, we have developed a basic scheduling strategy that takes into account the telescope characteristics, observing conditions, and weather conditions at the Lenghu site. The sky area is divided into rectangular regions, referred to as “tiles,” with a size of2°. 577 × 2°. 634 slightly smaller than the focal area of the mosaic CCDs. These tiles are continuously filled in annulars parallel to the equator. The brightness of the sky background, which varies with the moon phase and distance from the moon, plays a significant role in determining the accessible survey fields. Approximately 50connected tiles are grouped into one block for observation. To optimize the survey schedule, we perform simulations by taking into account the length of exposures, data readout, telescope slewing, and all relevant observing conditions. We utilize the Greedy Algorithm for scheduling optimization. Additionally, we propose a dedicated dithering pattern to cover the gaps between CCDs and the four corners of the mosaic CCD array, which are located outside of the 3° field of view. This dithering pattern helps to achieve relatively uniform exposure maps for the final survey outputs.

Design and assembly of a nested imaging X-ray telescope for the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor mission

The Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) mission will carry a nested X-ray telescope capable of observing an energy range from 0.5 keV to 2 keV to study hot baryon evolution. In this paper, we report the latest progress in the design and construction of nested X-ray telescopes which were designed to use a three-stage conic-approximation type assembly to simplify the manufacturing process. The mirror substrate is made using the thermal glass slumping method, with mirrors characterized by a root-mean-square roughness of 0.3 nm, with expected high reflectivity and good thermal stability. We also discuss methods of telescope construction and conduct a deformation analysis of the manufactured mirror. The in situ measurement system program is developed to guide the telescope assembly process.

Design and Cryogenic Performance of a Hexapod Platform for a Large Ground-based Wide Field Survey Telescope

The thermal gradient is an important factor that causes degradation to the image quality of telescopes. In order to ensure the accurate alignment of the primary focus unit and the primary mirror, the hexapod platform(as a corrector) is investigated in this paper. First, a ground-based telescope with 2.5 m aperture and 3.5 deg field of view is described. The telescope is under construction, and it is expected to be finished in 2023. Second, the hexapod platform with flexure hinges utilized to adjust the primary focus unit is proposed, which is applied as a corrector.Then, the inverse kinematics of the platform is established and an open-loop control system is built based on it.Finally, the cryogenic performance test for the hexapod platform is performed. The experimental results show that the resolution and repeatability of the translation for the hexapod platform can be achieved at the micrometer level.The resolution and repeatability of the rotation can be achieved at the arc-second level. Therefore, the cryogenic performance of the hexapod platform can meet the optical imaging requirements of the wide-field ground-based telescope. The kinematic analysis and cryogenic performance tests in the paper provide a technical reference for the precise alignment of the primary focus unit and the primary mirror, which can improve the imaging quality of the telescope.

Disturbance Observer-based Pointing Control of Leighton Chajnantor Telescope

Leighton Chajnantor Telescope(LCT), i.e., the former Caltech Submillimeter Observatory telescope, will be refurbished at the new site in Chajnantor Plateau, Chile in 2023. The environment of LCT will change significantly after its relocation, and the telescope will be exposed to large wind disturbances directly because its enclosure will be completely open during observation. The wind disturbance is expected to be a challenge for LCT's pointing control since the existing control method cannot reject this disturbance very well. Therefore, it is very necessary to develop a new pointing control method with good capability of disturbance rejection. In this research, a disturbance observer—based composite position controller(DOB-CPC) is designed, in which an H∞feedback controller is employed to compress the disturbance, and a feedforward linear quadratic regulator is employed to compensate the disturbance precisely based on the estimated disturbance signal. Moreover, a controller switching policy is adopted, which applies the proportional controller to the transient process to achieve a quick response and applies the DOB-CPC to the steady state to achieve a small position error. Numerical experiments are conducted to verify the good performance of the proposed pointing controller(i.e., DOB-CPC) for rejecting the disturbance acting on LCT.

Prospects of the Multi-channel Photometric Survey Telescope in the Cosmological Application of Type Ia Supernovae

The Multi-channel Photometric Survey Telescope(Mephisto)is a real-time,three-color photometric system designed to capture the color evolution of stars and transients accurately.This telescope system can be crucial in cosmological distance measurements of low-redshift(low-z,z■0.1)Type Ia supernovae(SNe Ia).To optimize the capabilities of this instrument,we perform a comprehensive simulation study before its official operation is scheduled to start.By considering the impact of atmospheric extinction,weather conditions,and the lunar phase at the observing site involving the instrumental features,we simulate light curves of SNe Ia obtained by Mephisto.The best strategy in the case of SN Ia cosmology is to take the image at an exposure time of 130 s with a cadence of 3 days.In this condition,Mephisto can obtain hundreds of high-quality SNe Ia to achieve a distance measurement better than 4.5%.Given the on-time spectral classification and monitoring of the Lijiang 2.4 m Telescope at the same observatory,Mephisto,in the whole operation,can significantly enrich the well-calibrated sample of supernovae at low-z and improve the calibration accuracy of high-z SNe Ia.

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope Project

The Jiao Tong University Spectroscopic Telescope(JUST)is a 4.4-meter f/6.0 segmented-mirror telescope dedicated to spectroscopic observations.The JUST primary mirror is composed of 18 hexagonal segments,each with a diameter of 1.1 m.JUST provides two Nasmyth platforms for placing science instruments.One Nasmyth focus fits a field of view of 10′and the other has an extended field of view of 1.2°with correction optics.A tertiary mirror is used to switch between the two Nasmyth foci.JUST will be installed at a site at Lenghu in Qinghai Province,China,and will conduct spectroscopic observations with three types of instruments to explore the dark universe,trace the dynamic universe,and search for exoplanets:(1)a multi-fiber(2000 fibers)medium-resolution spectrometer(R=4000-5000)to spectroscopically map galaxies and large-scale structure;(2)an integral field unit(IFU)array of 500 optical fibers and/or a long-slit spectrograph dedicated to fast follow-ups of transient sources for multi-messenger astronomy;(3)a high-resolution spectrometer(R~100000)designed to identify Jupiter analogs and Earth-like planets,with the capability to characterize the atmospheres of hot exoplanets.

Are James Webb Space Telescope Observations Consistent with Warm Dark Matter?

We compare observed with predicted distributions of galaxy stellar masses M* and galaxy rest-frame ultra-violet luminosities per unit bandwidth LUV, in the redshift range z=2 to 13. The comparison is presented as a function of the comoving warm dark matter free-streaming cut-off wavenumber kfs. For this comparison the theory is a minimal extension of the Press-Schechter formalism with only two parameters: the star formation efficiency, and a proportionality factor between the star formation rate per galaxy and LUV. These two parameters are fixed to their values obtained prior to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data. The purpose of this comparison is to identify if, and where, detailed astrophysical evolution is needed to account for the new JWST observations.

A novel hexapod and its prototype for secondary mirror alignment in telescopes

This paper presents a novel hexapod as the adjustment mechanism for a telescope to actively align its secondary mirror. The special hexapod provides six degrees of freedom（6-DOFs） with decoupled translation and rotation. The decoupled kinematic motions are analyzed and commented on as the alignment mechanism of a secondary mirror from an optical alignment point of view. In terms of performance of the adjustment generally required by the secondary mirror in a telescope, we developed a prototype that uses a novel hexapod design with linear micro-displacement actuators. Especially, in order to achieve high precision, flexures were used to build joints for the hexapod to minimize frictions and eliminate backlashes. Based on the specific configuration and dimension of the prototype hexapod,an analytical model of the reachable workspace was built with the constraints defined by limited rotation angles of the flexure-based joints. We used a laser tracker to verify that the hexapod can reach a spherical translation workspace of φ6 mm and a rotation workspace of±1°. The translational repeatability was tested to be around half a μm by laser displacement sensors. In addition, we also measured the axial and lateral stiffnesses of the hexapod to be around 5500 N mm-^1 and 1750 N mm^-1, respectively. The kinematic analyses and convincing test results jointly encourage implementing the novel hexapod design with decoupled translation and rotation as a favorable alignment mechanism for secondary mirrors in astronomical telescopes.

Advances in optical engineering for future telescopes

Significant optical engineering advances at the University of Arizona are being made for design, fabrication, and construction of next generation astronomical telescopes. This summary review paper focuses on the technological advances in three key areas. First is the optical fabrication technique used for constructing next-generation telescope mirrors. Advances in ground-based telescope control and instrumentation comprise the second area of development. This includes active alignment of the laser truss-based Large Binocular Telescope(LBT) prime focus camera, the new MOBIUS modular cross-dispersion spectroscopy unit used at the prime focal plane of the LBT, and topological pupil segment optimization. Lastly, future space telescope concepts and enabling technologies are discussed. Among these, the Nautilus space observatory requires challenging alignment of segmented multi-order diffractive elements. The OASIS terahertz space telescope presents unique challenges for characterizing the inflatable primary mirror, and the Hyperion space telescope pushes the limits of high spectral resolution, far-UV spectroscopy. The Coronagraphic Debris and Exoplanet Exploring Pioneer(CDEEP) is a Small Satellite(Small Sat) mission concept for high-contrast imaging of circumstellar disks and exoplanets using vector vortex coronagraph. These advances in optical engineering technologies will help mankind to probe, explore, and understand the scientific beauty of our universe.

Scientific Drilling-to Construct the Telescopes that Inserting to the Earth Interior

Mankind live in the earth for countless years, but until now;people do not really understand the connotation of the Earth. We know that the earth composition including the lithosphere, the asthenosphere, mantle and core. Of course, the lithosphere supports all the life on Earth. For a long time, geoscientists trying to use all kind of methods such as geological, geophysical and geochemical methods to detect and study the earth, but the knowledge about earth are mostly indirect. Through the direct observation to the lithosphere, people can understand and recognize the plate movement of ocean and the mainland, crustal stress, earthquakes, volcanic processes, deep resources, the origins of life, global climate change and biodiversity. They are all the basis of a series of geosciences problems(Su and Yang, 2010). Geological specimens, especially the true samples from deep of the Earth, are the most directly study subjects for geologists. But the only way to access the true samples from deep of the earth is drilling. The most directly relevant evidence always originated from the deep of the earth, such as core, cuttings, fluid samples and other physical samples. Continental scientific drilling has been demonstrated which is an efficient technique for directly obtaining information from the Earth’s surface to the deep crust, and is acknowledged as ―to build a telescope inserting to the interior of the Earth‖, as well as ―a key for opening the door of the Earth‖. Over the last four decades, continental scientific drilling has achieved great success in enhancing our knowledge of the Earth, and in providing information on mineral resources, large engineering projects and global change. SinoProbe-05 is a new scientific drilling venture,which builds on the success of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling Project(CCSD), and is similar to the current major scientific drilling project on the Wenchuan earthquake fault. SinoProbe-05 will focus on 6 critical tectonic and mineral resource regions, including the Jinchuan Cu-Ni sulphide deposits in Gansu, the Luobusa chromite deposits in Tibet, the Tengchong volcano-thermal tectonic zone in Yunnan, the Yudu-Ganxian polymetallic deposits in South China, the Tongling polymetallic deposit and the Luzong volcanic basin and mineral deposit district in Anhui. As of the end of 2013, all of these pilot holes have been completed, all of them have achieved the desired scientific objectives. The construction of another ICDP project, Songke No.2 well, has come to an end. Current well depth is 5929 m. Drilling throughout the Cretaceous strata is just around the corner(The design well depth is 6400 m.). This will be the first complete Cretaceous stratigraphic profile in the world. The deep exploration project which will be stared soon will build a large number of different depths of scientific drilling holes. The deepest hole depth will reach to 13000 m. We believe that the construction of these scientific coring drilling holes will provide geologists with a lot of real core samples. These cores can meet the needs for different geoscience research areas. No doubt, the research results based on these cores will promote China’s geological science research to a new height, of course;will also contribute to the progress of the world’s earth science. This is also a good opportunity to promote China’s drilling technology. So, we know that no advanced drilling technology, no enough high quality samples from the deep of the Earth, the in-depth studies for geosciences will be restricted of course(Zhang et al., 2013).

Research on scheduling of robotic transient survey for Antarctic Survey Telescopes(AST3)

Antarctic Survey Telescopes（AST3） are designed to be fully robotic telescopes at Dome A,Antarctica,which aim for highly efficient time-domain sky surveys as well as rapid response to special transient events（e.g.,gamma-ray bursts,near-Earth asteroids,supernovae,etc.）.Unlike traditional observations,a well-designed real-time survey scheduler is needed in order to implement an automatic survey in a very efficient,reliable and flexible way for the unattended telescopes.We present a study of the survey strategy for AST3 and implementation of its survey scheduler,which is also useful for other survey projects.

A Wideband Microwave Holography Methodology for Reflector Surface Measurement of Large Radio Telescopes

Most reflector surface holographic measurements of a large radio telescope utilize a geostationary satellite as the signal source. The shortcoming is that those measurements could only be done at a limited elevation angle due to the satellite’s relatively stationary state. This paper proposed a new wideband microwave holographic measurement method based on radio sources to achieve full-elevation-angle measurement with small size reference antenna. In theoretical derivation, the time delay and phase change due to path length and device difference between the antenna under test and reference antenna are compensated first. Then the correct method of wideband holography effect, which is because of antenna pattern differing under different wavelengths when receiving a wideband signal, is presented. To verify the proposed methodology, a wideband microwave holographic measurement system is established, the data processing procedure is illustrated, and the reflector surface measurement experiments on a 40 m radio telescope at different elevation angles are conducted. The result shows that the primary reflector surface root-mean-square at around elevation angles of 28°, 44°, 49°, and 75° are respectively 0.213 mm, 0.170 mm, 0.188 mm, and 0.199 mm. It is basically consistent with the real data, indicating that the proposed wideband microwave holography methodology is feasible.

Blind search for 21-cm absorption systems using a new generation of Chinese radio telescopes

Neutral hydrogen clouds are known to exist in the Universe, however their spatial distributions and physical properties are poorly understood. Such missing information can be studied by the new generation of Chinese radio telescopes through a blind search of 21-cm absorption systems. We forecast the capabilities of surveys of 21-cm absorption systems by two representative radio telescopes in China - the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope （FAST） and Tianlai 21-cm cosmology experiment （Tianlai）. Facilitated by either the high sensitivity （FAST） or wide field of view （Tianlai） of these telescopes, more than a thousand 21-cm absorption systems can be discovered in a few years, representing orders of magnitude improvement over the cumulative discoveries in the past half a century.

Improving the Angular Resolution of Coded-Mask Telescopes by Direct Demodulation

We develop a new procedure to improve the angular resolution of coded-mask telescopes by the Direct Demodulation Method （DDM）. DDM has been applied to both real and simulated data of INTEGRAL/IBIS. The angular resolution of IBIS/ISGRI has been improved from about 13＇ to 2＇.

A general observatory control software framework design for existing small and mid-size telescopes

A general framework for observatory control software would help to improve the efficiency of observation and operation of telescopes, and would also be advantageous for remote and joint observations. We describe a general framework for observatory control software, which considers principles of flexibility and inheritance to meet the expectations from observers and technical personnel. This framework includes observation scheduling, device control and data storage. The design is based on a finite state machine that controls the whole process.