Active optics technology - An overview

A brief development history and current development status evaluation are presented for active (as opposed to 'adaptive') optical techniques, giving attention to this technology's successful application to date in large telescopes using active primary mirror controls and prospective, more ambitious active optics systems. Reliable models and simulation tools are noted to already exist for establishing the flexural limits of active structures. Current examples include the ESO's 3.5-m New Technology Telescope and the Keck 10-m TMT; future applications are in Japan's NLT, the ESO VLT, and the SOFIA airborne IR telescope.