DAG 4m telescope: assembly, integration and testing

Abstract

AMOS with EIE as a main subcontractor, was awarded a contract in November 2014 for the design, manufacturing and installation of a 4m-class telescope for the Turkish Eastern Anatolia Observatory (DAG) situated at 3170 m above the sea level in Palandöken mountains. The telescope is based on a Ritchey-Chretien configuration with two folded Nasmyth focal planes and a focal length of 56m. Diffraction-limited performances will be reached thanks to the combination of the active optics system and the adaptive optics system that will be implemented on one of the Nasmyth ports. The active optics system aims at controlling the shape of the primary mirror by means of 66 axial force actuators and positioning actively the secondary and tertiary mirrors by means of hexapods. More than 30 years of experience in testing instruments and telescopes, including optical testing, alignment, metrology, mechanical static and dynamic measurements, system identification, etc. allow to implement an adequate verification strategy combining component level verifications with factory and site test in the most efficient and reliable manner. As a main contractor, AMOS is in charge of the overall project management, the system engineering, the optical design and the active optics development. As a main sub-contractor and partner of AMOS, EIE is in charge of the development of the mount. The factory test therefore takes place in EIE premises. In this paper is shortly presented the overall design of the telescope with a review of the specification, the optical design and a description of the major sub-systems, including the optics. The assembly, integration et test plan is outlined. The assembly sequence and the tests of the active optics and the mount are discussed. Finally, the site integration and tests are explained. The process to assess the image quality of the telescope and the verification instrument developed for this purpose by AMOS are presented.