Live-Mirror is based on three main objectives, delivering three state-of-the-art breakthrough technologies:
(1) First we will demonstrate that an accurate on-/off-axis aspheric surface can be generated without ever contacting the glass's reflecting surface, e.g. a zero-polishing mirror. We aim to create the initial aspherical optics without grinding or melting the reflective surface and to do it inexpensively. The science-towards technology breakthroughs of these processes will produce a several-meter-scale aspherical (parabolic) thin (from 3-to-6mm) fire-polished lightweight surface with exceptional control of the level of diffusely scattered light, e.g. improved high-dynamic range, which will be superior to conventionally ground mirrors (10x less scattered light);
(2) Second, the research objective will be focused on modelling and creating in the lab a dynamic hybrid meta-materials structure (HM-MS) by the sandwiching of warpable thin-glass control (fire-polished) and reaction surfaces (see Figure 3), separated by a deterministically distributed lattice of EAP-based force actuators in series with force sensors interconnected by flexible electronics via additive manufacturing. Why additive manufacturing? -- Because each m2 of optical mirror area will require about 100s of force points, additive manufacturing via 3D printing technologies is crucial to enabling this degree of complexity and miniaturization. We will investigate a range of static and dynamic limits for a given areal mass density and useful surface shapes;
(3) Third objective calls for novel, fast & unique multi-frequency metrology & control, which will be crucial to assess the performance, calibration and control for the Live-Mirror overall HM-MS system in close-loop & real-time. In addition, unique multi-sensing performance, calibration and metrology algorithms integrated into a control system will shape our HM-MS dynamically (real-time) into a perfect optical surface by including the feedback of measurement of the wavefront in a closed loop, delivering performance with nanometric precision.
Within this project, we will tackle some of the most challenging issues that will be simulated, modelled and validated on a laboratory ½ meter-class HM-MS "workhorse" demonstrator – hundreds of force-actuators & -sensors interconnected via flexible electronics, as it is starting to show up with our first proof-of-concept.
The consortium’s work is synergistically distributed among six European partners inside the consortium and is closely related to the R&D of newly derived sub-technologies for the leading Live-Mirror technology.
In this first year of Y1 activities, each of the three main objectives, as distributed and shown in Figure 4, had started to consolidate their contributions R&Ds on mould, slumped glass, glass coating, ink and EAP, 3DPrinter, metrology and electronics control –– towards the main objective: the proofs-of-concept for the Live-Mirror dynamic hybrid meta-materials structure (HM-MS). Figure 5 shows one of these “freshly baked” proofs-of-concept direct from the EIC Live-Mirror version_01 for the additive manufacturing facility.
