The goal of deformable mirrors (DMs) is to correct aberrated optical wavefronts in spaceborne electro-optical (EO) payloads. It is used as part of an active/adaptive optics system. A continuous-surface, metal-based DM is highly reliable and less complex to assemble, has better stability of the active surface, is less expensive, and can be manufactured quickly. In addition, metal DM with actuation away from the active surface makes the overall configuration scalable. Continuing our previous work on deformable metal mirrors, this work presents the design, validation, and qualification of an aluminum DM using 25 piezoelectric actuators, which include an actuator in the center of the mirror, to improve the spherical aberration correction accuracy. The optomechanical design and analysis of the deformable mirror assembly (DMA) are also presented for performance and survival loads. Later, a qualification model (QM) was built with vacuum-compatible closed-loop piezoelectric actuators. The correction accuracy was demonstrated at the QM by correcting aberrations in the mirror itself. The QM was successfully tested in the space environment in the ThermoVac for operating temperature limits of 20°C±5°C and demonstrated survivability for storage temperature limits of 20°C±40°C. Likewise, the survivability of QM for launch environments such as sinusoidal and random vibration loads is demonstrated. The successful completion of all these tests has improved the maturity of this technology to the technology readiness level of 7 and is now ready to be configured for the appropriate spaceborne EO payload.

中文翻译：

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用于星载电光有效载荷的铝变形镜的设计和鉴定


可变形镜 (DM) 的目标是校正星载电光 (EO) 有效载荷中的像差光学波前。它用作主动/自适应光学系统的一部分。连续表面的金属基DM可靠性高，组装复杂度较低，活性表面稳定性更好，成本较低，并且可以快速制造。此外，远离活动表面驱动的金属 DM 使整体配置可扩展。继续我们之前关于可变形金属反射镜的工作，这项工作介绍了使用 25 个压电执行器（其中包括位于反射镜中心的执行器）的铝制 DM 的设计、验证和鉴定，以提高球面像差校正精度。还介绍了可变形镜组件 (DMA) 的光机械设计和分析，以实现性能和生存负载。后来，使用真空兼容的闭环压电执行器建立了资格模型（QM）。通过校正镜子本身的像差，在 QM 上证明了校正精度。 QM 在 ThermoVac 的太空环境中成功进行了 20°C±5°C 工作温度限制的测试，并展示了 20°C±40°C 存储温度限制的生存能力。同样，QM 对于正弦和随机振动载荷等发射环境的生存能力也得到了证明。所有这些测试的成功完成，使该技术的成熟度提高到了技术成熟度7级，现在可以为适当的星载光电有效载荷进行配置。