Hill John M
University of Arizona, Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, 933 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Appl Opt. 2010 Jun 1;49(16):D115-22. doi: 10.1364/AO.49.00D115.
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT) Observatory is a collaboration among institutions in Arizona, Germany, Italy, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Virginia. The telescope on Mount Graham in Southeastern Arizona uses two 8.4 m diameter primary mirrors mounted side by side. A unique feature of the LBT is that the light from the two Gregorian telescope sides can be combined to produce phased-array imaging of an extended field. This cophased imaging along with adaptive optics gives the telescope the diffraction-limited resolution of a 22.65 m aperture and a collecting area equivalent to an 11.8 m circular aperture. This paper describes the design, construction, and commissioning of this unique telescope. We report some sample astronomical results with the prime focus cameras. We comment on some of the technical challenges and solutions. The telescope uses two F/15 adaptive secondaries to correct atmospheric turbulence. The first of these adaptive mirrors has completed final system testing in Firenze, Italy, and is planned to be at the telescope by Spring 2010.
大型双筒望远镜（LBT）天文台是由亚利桑那州、德国、意大利、印第安纳州、明尼苏达州、俄亥俄州和弗吉尼亚州的机构合作建立的。位于亚利桑那州东南部格雷厄姆山上的这台望远镜使用了两块并排放置的直径8.4米的主镜。LBT的一个独特之处在于，来自两台格里高利望远镜镜筒的光线可以合并，以产生扩展视场的相控阵成像。这种同相成像与自适应光学技术相结合，使该望远镜具备了口径为22.65米望远镜的衍射极限分辨率以及相当于直径11.8米圆形孔径的集光面积。本文描述了这台独特望远镜的设计、建造和调试过程。我们报告了使用主焦点相机取得的一些天文观测样本结果。我们对一些技术挑战及解决方案进行了评论。该望远镜使用两块F/15自适应副镜来校正大气湍流。其中第一块自适应镜已在意大利佛罗伦萨完成了最终系统测试，并计划于2010年春季安装到望远镜上。
