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Liquid Mirror Telescopes: A progress report

Ermanno F. Borra·Marc Ferrari·Luc Girard·Gilberto Moretto·Gregoire Tremblay·Gerard Lemaitre
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Abstract

We review the present status of liquid mirror telescopes. Interferometric tests of liquid mirrors (the largest one having a diameter of 2.5 meters ) show excellent optical qualities. The basic technology is now sufficiently reliable that it can be put to work. Indeed, a handful of liquid mirrors have now been built that are used for scientific work. A 3.7-m diameter LMT is presently being built in the new Laval upgraded testing facilities. Construction of the mirror can be followed on the Web site: http://astrosun.phy.ulaval.ca/lmt/lmt- home.html. Finally we address the issue of the field accessible to LMTs equipped with novel optical correctors. Optical design work, and some exploratory laboratory work, indicate that a single LMT should be able to access, with excellent images, small regions anywhere inside fields as large as 45 degrees.

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Ermanno F. Borra, Marc Ferrari, Luc Girard, Gilberto Moretto, Gregoire Tremblay, Gerard Lemaitre. 1996-08-23. Liquid Mirror Telescopes: A progress report. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.269054

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