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Optical design


The optical design for the One Metre Initiative is breaking new ground in the world of optics by being the largest field prime focus telescope in the world. The corrector/field flattener is unprecedented as it will deliver a highly corrected 5 square degrees field of view. A 4 lens design was chosen with fused silica glass on the first three elements and CaF2 for the final element. The design uses spherical surfaces except for the surface facing the image sensor which is aspherical. The design offers 0.39"/0.7" centre/edge with 80% energy encircle diameters (r', 0.76"/pixel, 9um pixel).

The OMI optical design uses 4 lens with L1, the field lens, has a diameter of 345 mm.


Detail of the OMI 4-lens optical design.

The OMI optician commented:

"This will be the largest primary field corrector in the world."

and...

"I do not know any other primary corrector that has such a large field of view."

To Clarify: The optical designer knows of no other telescope in the world with such a wide field of view from a prime focus-based telescope design. LSST will have a 10 square degree field but it uses "three" mirrors and a corrector in a pseudo Schmidt Camera/Cassegrain configuration. Even when LSST comes on line, as long as no other telescope has come on line with a 5 square degree field or larger in a prime focus configuration, the 1m f2.5 we are working toward will still hold its title and distinction.

Field
u'
g'
r'
i'
z'
degrees
arcsec
arcsec
arcsec
arcsec
arcsec
0.00
1.758
0.531
0.372
0.373
0.571
0.173
1.780
0.552
0.366
0.394
0.625
0.346
1.825
0.609
0.343
0.405
0.691
0.518
1.842
0.652
0.346
0.444
0.757
0.691
1.799
0.665
0.403
0516
0.787
0.864
1.684
0.721
0.525
0.625
0.808
1.037
1.591
0.819
0.713
0.804
0.919
1.209
1.645
0.971
0.897
0.959
0.992
1.382
1.837
1.035
0.927
1.015
0.992
1.555
2.058
0.943
0.705
0.994
1.138
Average
1.782
0.75
0.560
0.653
0.787

OMI optical performance table, 80% energy encircle diameters (arcsec) vs. field (degrees).


OMI Spot diagram curves bases on 80% encircle energy.


OMI Spot diagram with radii data.

Lens
Glass
Diametre
Design
Total Length (mm)
mm
Corr./Effec.
L1
Fused Silica
345
Spherical
690/2453.95
L2
Fused Silica
215
Spherical
L3
Fused Silica
203
Spherical
L4
CaF2
203
Spherical/Aspherical

Lens topology


Vignetting

The vignetting, reduction in illumination at the edge of the field, is only 6% at 1.56 degrees from the centre.

 

Next: The Mount


  

2010 - The One Metre Initiative, Ottawa, Canada.