A flux-pinning mechanism for segment assembly and alignment

Jessica A. Gersh-Range; William R. Arnold; Mason A. Peck; H. Philip Stahl

doi:10.1117/12.893486

28 September 2011 A flux-pinning mechanism for segment assembly and alignment

Jessica A. Gersh-Range, William R. Arnold, Mason A. Peck, H. Philip Stahl

Proceedings Volume 8150, Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments XIII; 815005 (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893486
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Currently, the most compelling astrophysics questions include how planets and the first stars formed and whether there are protostellar disks that contain large organic molecules. Although answering these questions requires space telescopes with apertures of at least 10 meters, such large primaries are challenging to construct by scaling up previous designs; the limited capacity of a launch vehicle bounds the maximum diameter of a monolithic primary, and beyond a certain size, deployable telescopes cannot fit in current launch vehicle fairings. One potential solution is connecting the primary mirror segments edgewise using flux-pinning mechanisms, which are analogous to non-contacting damped springs. In the baseline design, a flux-pinning mechanism consists of a magnet and a superconductor separated by a predetermined gap, with the damping adjusted by placing aluminum near the interface. Since flux pinning is possible only when the superconductor is cooled below a critical temperature, flux-pinning mechanisms are uniquely suited for cryogenic space telescopes. By placing these mechanisms along the edges of the mirror segments, a primary can be built up over time. Since flux pinning requires no mechanical deployments, the assembly process could be robotic or use some other noncontacting scheme. Advantages of this approach include scalability and passive stability.

Citation Download Citation

Jessica A. Gersh-Range, William R. Arnold, Mason A. Peck, and H. Philip Stahl "A flux-pinning mechanism for segment assembly and alignment", Proc. SPIE 8150, Cryogenic Optical Systems and Instruments XIII, 815005 (28 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893486

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available