Meterlab successfully carried out an on-site experiment to measure, in real time and with ultra-high precision, approximately a 10 m distance between the primary and secondary mirrors at the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory (LBTO) in Arizona, USA. This field trial was a follow-up to the collaborative research MOU signed between LBTO and Meterlab earlier this year, and is significant as the first demonstration that Meterlab’s proprietary spectrally-based interferometry technology can be applied to optical alignment in an actual large-scale observatory environment.
The LBT, the world’s first extremely large binocular telescope with two 8.4 m primary mirrors, requires extremely accurate alignment between its massive optical elements to ensure observational quality. Using its self-developed high-speed spectrometer modules and ultra-precise distance-measurement techniques, Meterlab succeeded in acquiring stable distance signals and detecting nanometer-scale distance changes even over long air paths subject to large environmental variations.
This experiment confirmed that Meterlab’s technology can be practically applied to LBTO’s active optics control and optical alignment tasks. Meterlab plans to further develop real-time position-monitoring technologies for large optical systems in cooperation with LBTO through 2026. Going forward, Meterlab will continue to develop ultra-precise metrology technologies demanded by the space and astronomy sectors and will expand the application scope to various large optical-system alignment and inspection fields.
