Delivered image quality budget for the Discovery Channel Telescope

The Discovery Channel Telescope (DCT) is a 4.3-meter telescope designed for dual optical configurations, featuring an f/6.1, 0.5° FoV, Ritchey-Chretien prescription, and a corrected f/2.3, 2° FoV, prime focus. The DCT is expected to typically deliver sub-arcsecond images, with a telescope and local seeing contribution of <0.28" FWHM at the R-C focus and <0.38" FWHM at the prime focus. The Delivered Image Quality (DIQ) budget considers errors from design residuals, manufacturing, environmental effects, and control system limitations. We present an overview of the analytical methods used, including sensitivity analysis for determining collimation effects, and a summary of contributors to the overall system performance.