ESA Portal - Feather-light touch all that's needed for Darwin's frictionless optics

Media Centre

Press Releases ESA Television Launch Media Corner Exhibitions

Services

Calendar Publications Frequently asked questions ESA-sponsored Conferences Help Site Credits Portal terms of use Comments Subscribe

Feather-light touch all that's needed for Darwin's frictionless optics

12 April 2007

Back to article

The inner moving part of the Optical Delay Line (where all the optical components are located) is suspended in a free floating manner by means of magnetic levitation. Minor exerted forces like the touch of a feather or light human breath cause this moving part to displace away from its central position.

Credits: TNO

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 4528 kb)

HI RES TIFF (Size: 27 666 kb)

One of Darwin's telescopes, due to be part of a flotilla of four or five free-flying spacecraft.

Credits: ESA 2002

Precise movement using magnetic levitation

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 672 kb)

Darwin will combine light from four or five telescopes and send it down to Earth.
ESA has a strategy to enable more sophisticated searches for extra-solar planets in the future. Two planned developments rely on combining the light from a number of different telescopes. Both could greatly benefit from this technology.

Credits: ESA 2002

Sub-nanometre resolution to be incorporated in future flight mechanism

Back to article

Download:

HI-RES JPEG (Size: 438 kb)

Overview of the Optical Delay Line with the outer fixed structure holding the active parts for magnetic levitation and axial motion, and the inner moving structure that includes the optical components. Thanks to magnetic levitation, accurate displacements of a few nanometres have been achieved during testing.

Credits: TNO

Technical and Quality Management

Mechanisms section Optics section Optics and Opto-Electronics Laboratory

More information

Darwin overview Darwin in-depth TNO