Adaptive Secondary Development

Abstract

The MMT will be converted to a single 6.5 m primary mirror in 1997. The new telescope will be equipped with adaptive optics for high-resolution infrared astronomy at wavelengths between 1.6 microns and 5 microns. Atmospheric distortions will be corrected using an adaptive secondary mirror which directly feeds a high-resolution infrared detector. The use of an adaptive secondary maximizes emissivity, which provides high throughput to the imaging detector and efficient wavefront sensing by eliminating many optical elements normally needed in Coudé systems.