Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Developing Instrumentation For Fabricating And Characterizing Thin Film Aluminum Mirrors, P. Claire Segura

Student Works

The best material for constructing a mirror for a broad-bandwidth telescope that is also capable of reflecting EUV light is pure aluminum. In order to test how the reflectance of aluminum in the EUV range changes as it oxidizes, a system has been constructed that allows a thin aluminum mirror to be constructed inside of a vacuum, where its reflectance can then be tested immediately. Because the experiment must take place in a vacuum, it must also be controlled remotely through a computer program, which manages the mirror fabrication process as well as the collection and analysis of reflectance data. …