Hind High Vacuum Co. Pvt. Ltd. (HHV), has bagged a prestigious contract from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), a unit of the Department of Space, Government of India, for the manufacture and installation of a dedicated mirror coating plant for PRL’s upcoming 2.5-meter telescope. This telescope is a part of the Mount Abu Observatory which is located at the Gurushikhar peak of Mount Abu, Rajasthan at an altitude of about 5,600 feet above mean sea level.
Prasanth Sakhamuri, Managing Director, HHV said, “The telescope mirrors size of up to 3700 mm diameter and weighing more than 4000 kg can be accommodated in HHV coating chambers with a maximum overall dimension of 4000 × 2100 mm. The coaters offer an automated and highly reliable process for coating mirrors with Aluminium and/or Silver based coatings.”
The mirrors of the telescopes are amongst the most important components for sensing radiations from distant sources. These need to be coated with a reflective thin film that aids efficient light collection. The reflective coatings are prone to environmental degradation which necessitates a re-coating. The existing coatings are stripped clean, and a fresh coating is then applied. These coatings are applied by the vacuum deposition process to obtain the best properties in terms of reflectivity and durability. As the mirrors are sensitive, and one of the most expensive components in the telescope assembly, the coatings are carried out on-site. Thus, a vacuum coater is stationed at on-site astronomical observatories for coating the mirror at regular intervals.
“HHV is proud to be the supplier of the coating plant for several organisations in India and across the world, such as the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), and Observatory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University (Russian Federation),” added Prasanth Sakhamuri.