GISMO: a 30m cold FIR and submillimetre telescope in space
Tim HAWARDEN
ROE, Edinburgh
Résumé :
A technology review has suggested that a very capable FIR-submm space
telescope could be created by using a large Fresnel lens made of
ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. I will discuss a possible
design and some of its constraints and possibilities. If the lens can be
fabricated - material uniformity appears to be the biggest potential
problem - it should cool by radiation to around 10K. In combination
with a separate "Instrument" spacecraft 3 km away it could provide an
astronomical facility considerably more capable than the current 10m, 4K
"flavour" of the Single-Aperture Far-IR (SAFIR) proposal, probably at
significantly reduced cost.
