Smart Structures for Control of Optical Surfaces

Abstract

The development of lightweight, large-aperture optics is of vital importance to the Department of Defense and the US Air Force for advancing remote sensing applications and improving current capabilities. Synthetic polymer optics offer weight and flexibility advantages over current generation glass mirrors, but require active control to maintain tight surface figure tolerances. This research explores the feasibility of using imbedded piezoelectric materials to control optical surfaces. Membrane-based and stiff piezo-controlled mirrors were constructed to develop and validate control techniques. Test results verified that surface control on the order of tens of wavelengths is possible using these systems.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA405969

Entities

People

  • D. M. Sobers Jr.

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Department Of Defense
  • Geosynchronous Orbits
  • Low Earth Orbits
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Optics
  • Piezoelectric Materials
  • Piezoelectric Polymers
  • Remote Sensing
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.
  • Robotics and Automation.