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PFG Precision Optics - Precision Optics 12/24 LB

Modified Gregorian Telescope Patented

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VANCOUVER, Canada, April 5 -- fSONA Communications, a provider of optical wireless networking equipment, has been awarded a US patent (6,667,831) for a compact optical system described as a modified Gregorian telescope.

fSONA said the compact telescope involves flipping the secondary mirror over a folding mirror in the middle of the optical path between the primary and secondary mirrors. The primary mirror is constructed with a concentric "double-curved" geometry. The result is a compact Gregorian telescope that can be as short as 1/7th the focal length of the system.

fSONA said it will incorporate the technology into its Sonabeam free-space optical wireless systems, and that a modified version of the telescope is in use at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories for a variety of applications.

The Gregorian telescope was first developed in the 17th century, but a compact version was not possible until techniques for producing diamond-turned mirrors became readily available, fSONA said. The diamond-turning process is what enables the production of a "double-curved" mirror surface, according to the company.

In addition to free-space optics, fSONA said, applications for the compact Gregorian telescope include astronomy, night vision, laser radar, remote sensing, military, space telescopes and microscopy.

For more information, visit: www.fsona.com


PI Physik Instrumente - Space Qualified Steering MR LW 12/24

Published: April 2004
Glossary
astronomy
The scientific observation of celestial radiation that has reached the vicinity of Earth, and the interpretation of these observations to determine the characteristics of the extraterrestrial bodies and phenomena that have emitted the radiation.
astronomyBasic ScienceCommunicationsdefensefSONA CommunicationsGregorian telescope Lawrence Livermore National LaboratoriesMicroscopynetworking equipmentNews & Featuresoptical wireless

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