1. The GMT Project The Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)
Seven 8.4m Mirrors
Adaptive Secondaries
Edge-to-edge aperture ~ 25m
Focal Ratio f/0.7
Equivalent circular
aperture 21.5m
Resolution equivalent 25.5m
Site: Las Campanas, Chile.
ALMA
GMT
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

2. GMT Site in Chile Las Campanas: clear ~ 300 days/year,
very dark with excellent seeing,
well established infrastructure.
Arizona Astronomy
November 13th 2009

3. GMT: Sharper Images HST resolution (~ 0.06 “ at l ~ 400 nm)
Hubble Deep Field
(remote galaxies)
GMT with AO (resolution ~ ”)
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

4. GMT Partners (10) Astronomy Australia Ltd
The GMT Project
GMT Partners (10)
Astronomy Australia Ltd
Australian National University
Carnegie Institution
Harvard University
Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute
Smithsonian Institution
Texas A & M University
University of Arizona
University of Chicago
University of Texas at Austin
India is considering becoming a GMT partner.
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

5. GMT Accomplishments
Primary Mirrors. First off-axis blank successfully cast. Back face finishing and front face generating completed. Generating phase complete. Surface now accurate to 12 microns rms. Polishing to start shortly
New test tower designed, fabricated and installed. Large (3.8m) spherical test optic and completed test hardware installed in test tower.
Initial optical measurements now being made – major milestone. So far have been using laser tracker for surface measurements.
Small (1.7m – one fifth scale) prototype off-axis mirror completed; now installed at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. Working well.
Prototype adaptive secondaries and Rayleigh laser guide-star systems demonstrated at MMT; next generation to be implemented at LBT. Design of GMT adaptive system design underway.
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

6. Principal Optical Test
Primary mirror surface figure measurement
Transmissive hologram
Spherical fold-mirror #2
0.76m dia
14.5 deg angle of incidence for center ray
Fold flat (not shown)
Phase shifting interferometer
Fold sphere mirror m diameter, 25.5m ROC
8.3 m vertex to vertex
23.5 m
vertex to vertex
Distances monitored by laser tracker
3.75m fold sphere surface figure measurement
GMT primary off-axis segment, m dia, 36 meter ROC
“Principal Optical Test for the GMT Primary Mirror Segments”
Vertex 2.54m above floor
Arizona Astronomy
November 13th 2009

7. November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

8. Optical Test Interferogram
November 13, 2009
Arizona Astronomy

9. Challenges
November 13, 2009
Arizona Astronomy

10. Las Campanas at night
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

11. LBT Status Update Telescope now functioning reliably.
Prime Focus Cameras #1+2 ready for final acceptance.
LUCIFER #1 completing commissioning/SDT begins. (IR imager/ spectrometer with seeing/diffraction modes)
MODS #1 soon ready for Lab acceptance; commissioning spring (Optical imager/spectrometer).
Adaptive Secondary #1 tested in Arcetri, now ready for Lab acceptance; shipping in December 2009.
In each case unit #2 follows approximately 1 year later.
LBTI (combined beam high resolution imager) ready to be installed in spring Arizona contribution.
MGIO Power Line Upgrade underway. NSF-ARI proposal submitted for additional improvements.
November 13, 2009
Arizona Astronomy

12. LSST – Primary/Tertiary Mirror
Mirror Lab Update
LSST – Primary/Tertiary Mirror
Casting and Clean Out Complete
Back Face Machining and Polishing Complete
Installation of Load spreaders Complete
On schedule and budget
San Pedro Martir Telescope (6.5m)
Casting Completed
Furnace Opening November 30th
Collaboration INAOE/UNAM/UCB/UA
Solar Concentrator
- All components demonstrated to function individually
- First module integration now underway
- Proposals submitted to DOE/NREL etc.
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

13. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, President
Robert Shelton and Roger Angel viewing the
pre-prototype solar collector at Bear Gym.
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

14. Goal for UA Participation is 12.5 percent
The GMT Project
Appropriate UA Participation Level
Telescope
Year
Aperture
UA Share
Location
Comments
Bok
1971-
2.3 m
100%
Kitt Peak, AZ
All UA
MMT (Old)
4.5 m
50%
Mt Hopkins, AZ
with Smithsonian
MMT (New)
2000-
6.5 m
Magellan
2001
2 x 6.5 m
10%
Las Campanas, Chile
In Chile, 4 partners
LBT
2006
11.8 m
25%
Mt Graham, AZ
2 x 8.4 m, 4 partners
GMT
2018
22 m
12.5 %
Goal ~ 8-10 partners
Goal for UA Participation is 12.5 percent
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy

15. November 13th 2009 Arizona Astronomy
Figure 1. Rendition of the 20 kW generator prototype …….
November 13th 2009
Arizona Astronomy