Abstract
Due to fabrication and transportation limitations, the primary mirrors of giant astronomical telescopes are made from much smaller segments (Figure 1). For these telescopes to achieve diffraction-limited images, it is vital that the segments are phased correctly so that the mosaic of segments has the same optical shape as an ideal aspheric mirror (Figure 2). This requires that all the individual segments be manufactured with tight controls on the power (radius of curvature) and off-axis position (asphericity).
© 2002 Optical Society of America
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