Mitteilung
Laserquellen für das ELT der ESO und GRAVITY+ jetzt fertiggestellt
30. September 2024
Bei einer Zeremonie in der Nähe von München feierten heute Mitarbeiter der ESO und des deutschen Unternehmens TOPTICA die Fertigstellung der letzten Laserquelle des Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) der ESO. Auch die Laser für das GRAVITY+-Upgrade des Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) der ESO wurden fertiggestellt.
Das ELT wird mit sechs leistungsstarken Lasern [1] ausgestattet sein, welche Natriumatome in der oberen Erdatmosphäre anregen und so künstliche Sterne erzeugen. Diese „Sterne“ werden verwendet, um die durch die Atmosphäre verursachte Unschärfe zu messen, damit die formbaren Spiegel des ELT sie korrigieren können. Durch den Einsatz dieser modernsten Systeme „adaptiver Optik“ kann das Teleskop schärfere Bilder liefern als jedes andere erdgebundene Teleskop.
TOPTICA hat in Zusammenarbeit mit dem kanadischen Unternehmen MPB Communications Inc. (MPBC) gerade die Produktion einer Serie von neun Laserquellen abgeschlossen, die das Laserlicht erzeugen. Sechs davon werden am ELT und drei an GRAVITY+ verwendet, einem umfangreichen Upgrade, das derzeit am VLTI der ESO und seinem GRAVITY-Instrument durchgeführt wird. Alle neun Laserquellen sind nun fertiggestellt worden und an die ESO geliefert. Die jüngste Laserproduktion setzt ein erfolgreiches Arbeitsprogramm fort, das 2009 begann und dessen Ziel die Entwicklung und Industrialisierung einer Lasertechnologie ist, die für Natrium-Laserleitsterne an astronomischen Teleskopen geeignet ist.
Die ESO ist für die Integration der Laserquellen mit den übrigen Komponenten der Laserleitstern-Einheiten verantwortlich. Jede Einheit enthält neben der Lichtquelle eine Projektionsuntereinheit, die den Laserstrahl ausweitet und in den Himmel lenkt, sowie einen Wärmetauscher, um die Temperatur der Laserquelle zu stabilisieren. Die niederländische Organisation TNO ist mit der Bereitstellung der Projektionsuntereinheiten beauftragt, während das italienische Unternehmen Tecoelettra die Wärmetauscher-Einheiten geliefert hat.
Ähnlich wie die Laser am Very Large Telescope der ESO wird jeder der neuen Laser 22 Watt gelb-oranges Laserlicht in einem Strahl mit einem Durchmesser von 30 Zentimetern liefern. Die Leistung entspricht etwa das 4000-Fache der maximal zulässigen Leistung eines kommerziellen Laserpointers. Dank dieser Laser wird der 39-Meter-Spiegel des ELT gestochen scharfe Bilder vom gesamten Himmel liefern können.
Sobald es später in diesem Jahrzehnt sein erstes Licht erblickt, werden wir mit dem ELT der ESO tiefer und weiter ins Universum blicken können als je zuvor. Das Teleskop wird derzeit in der chilenischen Atacama-Wüste gebaut.
Hinweise
[1] Das ELT kann insgesamt acht Laserleitsterne aufnehmen. Zum Zeitpunkt des ersten Lichts wird es mit sechs Lasern ausgestattet sein. In der Zukunft besteht die Möglichkeit, die Anzahl auf acht zu erhöhen.
Kontaktinformationen
Steffan Lewis
ELT Optical Control Project Manager at ESO
European Southern Observatory
Garching bei München
Email: slewis@eso.org
Bárbara Ferreira
ESO Media Manager
Garching bei München
Tel: 089 3200 6670
Email: press@eso.org
Über die Mitteilung
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Bilder
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