University of Arizona optics experts are starting work on one of their most challenging projects ever.
Optical sciences and astronomy professor Jim Burge won an $11.8 million contract from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy to polish a 4.2-meter mirror for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope in Hawaii.
The work will be done at the Meinel Optical Sciences Building on campus, and nearly all of the money will be spent in Arizona.
The project is very difficult for three reasons, Burge said:
• The mirror will have a complex, asymmetric shape that requires complicated measurement and polishing techniques.
• The glass is very thin, only 3 inches thick for about 14 feet of flexible glass, so the scientists have to carefully control how much pressure is placed on it.
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• The surface finish needs to be twice as good as usual, perfect at the molecular level, because of its use in looking at the sun.
It will take about a year to prepare for the polishing process. The project will be finished in September 2014.
UA students will participate in supporting research projects.
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 807-8012.
