Grant for LIFE optical design

Floris van der Tak (SRON) & Tim Lichtenberg (U Groningen) have obtained funding for technical and system work for the optics of LIFE. The project includes a detailed optical design for LIFE, comparing various array configurations, and leading to tolerances on the quality of the various optical components. Additionally, existing work on hysteretic deformable mirrors based on piezo-electric actuators will be extended and tested at cryogenic temperatures, which is essential for wavefront correction. The work will be carried out at the optical-infrared laboratory of the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA) in Dwingeloo, in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) in Groningen and the LIFE team at ETH Zürich