Modeling and Analysis of the Active Surface System for the Large Single-Dish Sub-mm Telescope

Abstract

Enlarging antenna diameter while maintaining an accurate reflective surface is important in the development of next-generation single-dish sub-mm telescopes. In this article, we propose an emulation and optimization method of the active surface system (EOMASS) for large single-dish sub-mm telescopes. The proposed method involves three main steps: 1) building an active surface system model (ASSM) based on the whole finite element model (FEM) of the large single-dish sub-mm telescope, which includes the main reflector, realistic adjustment models of actuators, backup structure and so on; 2) emulating the reflective surface deformation compensation under gravity based on the initial distribution of the actuators with the ASSM, in consideration of the manufacturing error of panels; and 3) further optimizing the number and distribution of actuators based on the illumination function, and predicting the performance of the sub-mm antenna due to the limited number of faulty actuators. As an application example, a 60 m single-dish sub-mm telescope is analyzed under gravity with the proposed EOMASS. The results demonstrate that the proposed EOMASS is an effective and advanced method, providing a feasible precision design of the active surface system for a large single-dish sub-mm telescope.