Innovative Optics for Giant Telescopes

The present decade is an unprecedented period of expansion in the collective power of ground-based optical and infrared telescopes worldwide. No fewer than 13 telescopes between 6.5 m and 10 m in diameter--all larger than the most powerful telescope available before 1990--will be completed by roughly the year 2000. Some of these telescopes are designed with specific scientific goals in mind, such as high-resolution infrared imaging and spectroscopy, while others are multi-purpose instruments designed to serve the needs of an astronomical community whose observations have been limited by collecting area and resolving power for several decades. The projects are listed below.