Methods for Design, Metrology, and Alignment of Scalable Large Optical Systems

Abstract

Optics has been for 400 years one of the most impactful fields of science; starting with medicine and astronomy. Optical engineering challenges differ greatly across applications. Large optical systems are exponentially more costly and complex, especially when made in quantities of one. The future of astronomy demands more photons and higher resolution, thus even larger collecting area. Scalability is needed in order to keeps costs low while still producing these large collecting areas to meet demand. This dissertation explores methods for advancing concepts that enable large optical systems to become scalable. In Chapter 1, we discuss the problem of large optical systems: why they are needed, why that need is difficult to meet, and what concepts need to be implemented in order to solve some of those needs. The following chapters cover design, metrology, and alignment for large optical systems, with scalability in mind. The first work discusses optical design for the Large Fiber Array Spectroscopic Telescope (LFAST) in Chapter 2. At 30" diameter, this telescope is designed to be replicated thousands of times. Next, we discuss a novel metrology method to support efficient manufacturing of radio antenna panels in Chapter 3. Finally, we discuss using the same metrology method to form an accurate dish by rapidly align radio antenna panels in Chapter 4.