Abstract

Proposed designs for the next generation of large optical telescopes favor a tripod or quadrupod secondary support, and a primary supported from the back, but it is not yet clear whether the elevation axis should be in front of the primary or behind it. A study is described of the effect of elevation-axis location on key performance parameters (fundamental frequency, blockage, and wind-induced secondary decenter) for a 30-m Cassegrain telescope with a mount configuration that is typical of the new designs. For a fast (e.g., f/1) primary, the best location for the elevation axis is behind the primary. The penalty for moving the elevation axis in front of the primary is roughly a 40% decrease in fundamental frequency and a corresponding reduction in the control bandwidth for pointing and optical alignment.

© 2004 Optical Society of America

Model of image degradation due to wind buffeting on an extremely large telescope

Stephen Padin and Warren Davison
Appl. Opt. 43(3) 592-600 (2004)

Inexpensive mount for a large millimeter-wavelength telescope

S. Padin
Appl. Opt. 53(20) 4431-4439 (2014)

Optical Phased Array Configuration for an Extremely Large Telescope

Aden Baker Meinel and Marjorie Pettit Meinel
Appl. Opt. 43(3) 601-607 (2004)

Wind buffeting of large telescopes

Douglas G. MacMynowski and Torben Andersen
Appl. Opt. 49(4) 625-636 (2010)

Minimum-cost 4-m telescope developed at October 1979 Nanjing study of telescope design and construction

Aden B. Meinel, Marjorie P. Meinel, Hu Ningshen, Hu Qiqian, and Pan Chunhua
Appl. Opt. 19(16) 2670-2679 (1980)