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Meadowlark Optics - Wave Plates 6/24 LB 2024

Liquid Mirrors Offer a High Quality, Low Cost Alternative to Glass

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Ermanno F. Borra, Laval University, and Simon Thibault, INO

Scientists have long known that if you spin a liquid, its surface takes the shape of a paraboloid, a great shape for a mirror. Although well known, the concept was never taken seriously because early attempts to make mirrors by spinning a liquid were less than successful. Furthermore, early researchers only considered using liquid mirrors in astronomical applications. Liquid mirrors cannot be tilted and thus cannot point and track as conventional telescopes do. This limitation was the showstopper in the days when astronomers used photographic plates to record images. However, alternative...Read full article

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    Published: November 1998
    FeaturesindustrialSensors & Detectors

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