The ExoLife Finder (ELF) Telescope: new adaptive optics and hybrid dynamic live-optical surfaces strategies

Gil Moretto (1) , Jeff R. Kuhn (2) , Jean-Fabien Capsal (3) , David Audigier (3) , Maud Langlois (1) , Kritsadi Thetpraphi , Svetlana Berdyugina , David Halliday , Michel Tallon (1) , Mike Gedig , Gil Gilmozzi , Heather Marshall , Jason Spyromilio (4)

1 CRAL - Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon
2 Institute for Astronomy [Honolulu]
3 LGEF - Laboratoire de Génie Electrique et Ferroélectricité
4 ESO - European Southern Observatory

The exponential growth in exoplanets studies and related science such as detecting life and even civilizations on Earth-like planets requires high angular resolution and high-contrast observations. Such appealing sciences cases are a powerful reason for developing a dedicated high contrast telescope concept - The ExoLife Finder (ELF) Telescope. Here we describe the ELF overall optical concept, its preliminary Adaptive Optics concept and a novel and revolutionary technology to produce mirrors making use of force-sensor-actuator elements that are 3D-printed onto very thin slumped glass-sandwich elements of fire-polished glass - a very precise aspherical optical surface dedicated to high contrast measurements.

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Gil Moretto, Jeff R. Kuhn, Jean-Fabien Capsal, David Audigier, Maud Langlois, et al.. The ExoLife Finder (ELF) Telescope: new adaptive optics and hybrid dynamic live-optical surfaces strategies. Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes VII, Jun 2018, Austin, France. pp.158. ⟨hal-02166672⟩