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