Can the optical very large array be coupled with the JNLT?

Coupling the JNLT with the Keck telescope is of considerable interest. Further enhancement may be possible with auxiliary small telescopes, as planned for ESO's VLT. Current plans for installing the optical very large array at Mauna Kea provide opportunities for extra OVLA telescopes near the JNLT.A coudé field slicer is proposed for interferometric observing of a reference star together with the main object. Additions to the JNLT coudé spectrograph are also suggested for use as a speckle camera with multiple spectral channels.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

The interferometric mode of the European Very Large Telescope

The European Very Large Telescope program has been approved in 1987. It aims to consists of an array of four 8 m telescopes, plus two additional 2 m class auxiliary telescopes, the latter being fully dedicated to optical (infrared and visible) interferometry, with possible combination of some and, in the long term, all large telescopes. We discuss the implementation of this program in the next ten years.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Submillimeter interferometry

The technical feasibility of submillimeter interferometry at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, by connecting existing and planned optical/IR telescopes as well as submillimeter telescopes is discussed.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 19–December 2, 1988.Nobeyama Radio Observatory is a branch of the National Astronomical Observatory, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

A means for improving telescope derives

In seeking to minimize local seeing, some large telescopes are being planned with less wind protection than has been traditional and some sites with very good seeing appear to suffer significantly from ground-transmitted vibration. A great care is needed in designing new telescopes to ensure that vibration does not become a dominant cause of image degradation. A supplementary drive system is proposed which could improve on past tracking performances even in such adverse conditions. The system may also reduce the costs of very large telescopes by easing the demands on the stiffness and accuracy of their mountings and drives.Paper presented at the Symposium on JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Concept and status of the VLT project

The ESO Very Large Telescope project consists of an array of four 8-m telescopes. This concept presents a very great flexibility and covers a broad range of scientific applications. The most far reaching one is the co-phasing of the four telescopes which will open the way to very high resolution imaging.The funding has been granted in December 1987. The first telescope is scheduled for 1995. The whole array is expected to be completed by the 2000.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Lessons for new large telescopes from the AAT

When it began operating in 1975, the Anglo-Australian Telescope set new standards for pointing, tracking, and efficient observing. Since then, several large telescopes with more advanced control systems and on better sites have come into competition but the AAT retains the reputation of having the best overall observing efficiency.A number of organizational factors in the design and construction phase and in the Anglo-Australian Observatory's operational years have contributed to the AAT's success. Careful consideration of these factors should help groups planning the construction and operation of new telescopes.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Adaptive optics for large telescopes

The performance of large telescopes is determined both by their angular resolution and by their collection area. It is, therefore, important to achieve as high an angular resolution as possible by site selection, by avoiding image deterioration by the telescope and its environment, and by real time image restoration by adaptive optics. We summarize the principles of adaptive optics, their predicted performance and the current programs underway to implement adaptive optics for astronomical purposes.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

The planning of NOAO 8 m telescope enclosure and facilities

The National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) proposes to build 8 m telescopes at two locations. The Northern Hemisphere location is on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the Southern Hemisphere location is within the existing boundary of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. This paper describes the sites under consideration and the facilities that support the operation of each telescope, namely, the telescope enclosure, the control facility, and the recoating facility.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

The U.S. National 8 m telescope project

The National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) are planning to buld two 8 m telescopes, one for Mauna Kea, Hawaii, the other for a site in Chile. Optical configurations, primary mirror systems, and the telescope mounting are discussed. A new optical testing method is outlined. The system imaging goal is 0.25 FWHM. Construction could begin in the early 1990's.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Operational and technological developments for UKIRT

There are a number of parallels between the UKIRT and the JNLT both of which are major astronomical facilities of nations which do not have premier observing sites in their own country. Some elements of experience with UKIRT relevant to the JNLT are described. These include matters related to personnel and to instruments.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Infrared instruments for JNLT

The principal features of the JNLT as an infrared telescope are presented along with its ultimate performance of detectivity in typical methods of imagery and spectroscopy. Some infrared instruments: infrared camera, grating spectrometer, and Fabry-Pérot-based imager, currently proposed as the first generation instruments are also discussed in relation to the scientific objectives of the JNLT.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Spin-cast ZERODUR mirror substrates of the 8 m class and lightweight substrates for secondary mirrors

For about 20 years SCHOTT has been supplying the glass ceramic ZERODUR, a material with very low thermal expansion. Besides many other applications, ZERODUR is excellently suited for the manufacture of mirror substrates for telescopes. About 80% of all telescopes in the western world with mirror diameters >1.8 m have been equipped with ZERODUR during the last 10 years. The development of modern astronomical telescopes is aimed at larger primary mirrors and lighter secondary mirrors.New techniques have been developed by SCHOTT for manufacture of thin monolithic mirror blanks of more than 8 m in diameter. The development of thin meniscus shaped shells using the spin-casting technique was successfully completed last year. During a test production several mirror substrates up to 4.1 m in diameter and down to 57 mm in thickness could be produced. The know-how has been acquired for the fabrication of mirror substrates of more than 8 m in diameter by the spin-casting technique.SCHOTT has also performed considerable developmental work in the field of lightweighted ZERODUR mirror substrates which can be generated using different techniques: forming of the lightweighted structure during casting, fusion of individual components to a total structure and lightweighting of a massive block by various mechanical machining methods.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.Registered trademark of SCHOTT Glaswerke, Mainz.     

Active optics experiments for thin meniscus mirror

The concept of the active support system for JNLT is summarized. Performance of the force sensor, the optical wavefront analyzer, and the actuator under development for JNLT is reported. The results of a series of active optics experiments carried out by assembling these elements to support, measure, and actively correct a 62 cm thin mirror are described.Paper presented at the symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Development, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Cooperation aspects of international observatories

From the user's point of view, it is essential to promote collaborations to make full use of large telescopes, by covering the wide range of the wavelengths. To do that efficiently, it is necessary to work with other facilities, often abroad. Other talks in this symposium are concerned about the spatial resolution or the coverage at one wavelength or one to two octaves in wavelength. Though the above is important, that is not enough to attach the mysteries in the Universe, since a considerable amount of energy is emitted in the infrared, and mass exists in molecular gas form. In this paper, two examples of international, multiwavelength work are shown which turned out to be beneficial for the world-wide community. One is the Japan-U.K. arrangement mainly between the radio and infrared facilities, and the other is the arrangement around James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), challenging a new regime of the observational astronomy.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Fast optics for large telescopes

Reports on two optical designs studied in connection with the JNLT project: namely, the primary corrector and the camera for a spectrograph, are presented.Paper presented at the symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 2–December 2, 1988.     

Infrared detector arrays and some applications to spectroscopy

The read noise, dark current, and pixel sizes of state-of-the-art infrared arrays for astronomy are presented. Considerations for instrument development utilizing infrared arrays are discussed, with emphasis on the background emission and expected sensitivity. A simple method of estimating the background emission on the JNLT and some applications to spectroscopy are presented.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Mechanical structure of JNLT

The Japanese National Large Telescope (JNLT) requires mechanical performance of high tracking accuracy to achieve good image quality and a mechanical configuration to provide several kinds of focus modes. Under these requirements, a conceptual design for the JNLT mechanical structure has been performed. This paper presents the results of the conceptual design currently under consideration.Paper presented at the symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Cosmology and large telescopes

Assuming a large collecting area, a good angular resolution and a large field of view expected for the Japanese National Large Telescope (JNLT), we demonstrate that JNLT will provide a useful means of studying cosmological objects of interest. Among them I discuss how cosmological parameters and evolutionary effects can be obtained from redshift-magnitude relations, galaxy counts, distant supernovae, quasar properties, and large-scale structures. An advantage of near infrared observations is emphasized.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Outline of the JNLT project

The Japanese National Large Telescope (JNLT) is a 7.5 m reflector with a monolithic thin meniscus main mirror, having the candidate construction site on the northwest cone of the Mauna Kea, Hawaii.The present concept of JNLT has the characteristics of a third generation infrared telescope, which should be capable of various observations of high spatial resolution in the optical-infrared region.Although the project is still under examination from the financial and administrative point of view, a wide range of technical studies were carried out by the JNLT Working Group with the collaboration of specialists from the academic and the industrial sectors.Paper presented at the symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Recent progress on the Columbus Project and the Miror Laboratory program

This paper summarizes recent advances on the Columbus Project telescope and in the University of Arizona Mirror Lab. The Columbus telescope structure has been re-optimized to allow rapid changes between foci, while still maintaining high rigidity. Room has been made to translate secondary and tertiary spiders out of the light path to the center. A bill allowing construction of the telescope on Mt. Graham, Arizona, has been passed by Congress and signed into law. Two alternative enclosure designs, one with a co-rotating building and a second which opens like a flower, are being explored.A common baseline design for the 8 m honeycomb mirrors for both the Columbus and Magellan telescopes has been developed. It has stiffness comparable to that of the Palomar 200 inch mirror. The Mirror Lab has successfully cast two 3.5 m honeycomb blanks and expects to begin casting at the 6.5 and 8 m scale at the end of 1990. Interferometric tests of the Vatican f/1 1.8 m borosilicate honeycomb mirror show good stability of figure with the air jet ventilation system. A 60 cm stressed lap has been completed, and will be used to parabolize this mirror which is now polished as an f/1 sphere. Plans for a polishing facility to house two 8 m machines and a test tower are complete, with construction starting in April 1989.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.