Laser-mirror cleaning in a simulated space environment

Vicky G. Pierce; Michael B. Frish; B. David Green; Lawrence G. Piper; James J. Guregian; Michael I. Anapol

doi:10.1117/12.22621

1 November 1990 Laser-mirror cleaning in a simulated space environment

Vicky G. Pierce, Michael B. Frish, B. David Green, Lawrence G. Piper, James J. Guregian, Michael I. Anapol

Proceedings Volume 1329, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control II; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22621
Event: 34th Annual International Technical Symposium on Optical and Optoelectronic Applied Science and Engineering, 1990, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The efficacy of pulsed CO2 lasers is demonstrated for remote removal of contaminants from cryogenic, low-scatter mirrors in a simulated space environment. A gold-overcoated, nickel-coated aluminum mirror was housed in a vacuum dewar and cooled to either 90 K with liquid nitrogen or 34 K with liquid-helium cryogen. Admitting a controlled leak of room-air contaminated the mirror. Bidirectionl reflectance distribution function (BRDF) measurements at 3, 6, and 9 deg monitored the amount of contamination on the mirror. Upon contamination, the mirror BRDF generally increased by an order of magnitude or more. Using an x-y scanner to raster a pulsed CO2-laser beam across the face of the mirror, successful cleaning of sizable areas (25 sq cm) of the mirror was demonstrated at both temperatures. In all cases the laser-cleaning technique returned the BRDF of the mirror to precontamination levels and showed no evidence for contaminant redeposition within the cleaned area.

Citation Download Citation

Vicky G. Pierce, Michael B. Frish, B. David Green, Lawrence G. Piper, James J. Guregian, and Michael I. Anapol "Laser-mirror cleaning in a simulated space environment", Proc. SPIE 1329, Optical System Contamination: Effects, Measurement, Control II, (1 November 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.22621

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