Dynamics, active optics, and scale effects in future extremely large telescopes

Abstract

This paper examines the active optics of future large segmented telescopes from the point of view of dynamic simulation and control. The first part of the paper is devoted to the modelling of the mirror. The model has a moderate size and separates the quasi-static behavior of the mirror (primary response) from the dynamic response (secondary or residual response). The second part of the paper is devoted to control. The control strategy considers explicitly the primary response of the telescope through a singular value controller. The control-structure interaction is addressed with the general robustness theory of multivariable feedback systems, where the secondary response is considered as uncertainty. This approach is very fast and allows extensive parametric studies. The study is illustrated with an example involving 90 segments, 270 inputs, and 654 outputs.