Podcasts

Series 17 – Episode 2 – enabling deep space exploration with colossal telescopes

24th January 2025
Paige West
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Paige West speaks with Andrea Banfi, Business Development Manager EMEA at Vicor and Gerald Angerer, Lead Hardware Engineer, Microgate.

The conversation explored how these two companies are working together to power the next generation of extremely large telescopes (ELTs), specifically the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) flagship project.

The ESO, an intergovernmental research organisation comprising 16 member states, is constructing the world's largest ground-based telescope. With a primary mirror spanning 39 metres, this monumental telescope aims to revolutionise deep space exploration by providing astronomers with unparalleled views of the universe. Central to this effort is Microgate's adaptive optics technology, which is powered by Vicor's advanced power modules.

Founded in 1989, Microgate initially specialised in timing devices for professional sports. Over the years, the company expanded into adaptive optics – a technology that has become essential for correcting distortions caused by Earth's atmosphere.

Angerer explained the importance of adaptive optics: “Without adaptive optics, the light collected by a telescope suffers distortion from atmospheric turbulence. The deformable mirrors we develop ensure a corrected wavefront, enabling astronomers to achieve crystal-clear images.”

Microgate's deformable mirrors, which are only 2mm thick, are controlled by an array of 5,400 actuators. These actuators must synchronously deform the mirror’s shape with nanometre precision, refreshing every millisecond to counteract atmospheric aberrations.

“This level of precision,” Angerer noted, “requires not just cutting-edge electronics but also a highly efficient power delivery system. Any inefficiency introduces thermal distortions that degrade image quality.”

Vicor, a specialist in high-performance power modules, plays a critical role in enabling Microgate’s adaptive optics technology. Banfi elaborated: “Our power modules are designed for maximum density and efficiency. For this application, they deliver over 10kW to the mirror actuators with minimal thermal dissipation, ensuring the integrity of the optics.”

Given the extreme demands of the project, Vicor’s modules also had to be highly reliable and compact. The power supply architecture is located close to the mirror, minimising losses and thermal interference. Banfi added: “Cooling is achieved using gas-fluted cold plates to remove heat generated by the electronics, maintaining the mirror's performance.”

The scale of this project presents unique challenges. For instance, measuring and controlling deformations at the nanometre level requires innovative sensor systems and robust analog circuitry.

In addition to precision, the project demanded an efficient power delivery system to accommodate the mirror’s stiffness, requiring 10kW to achieve the desired deformations. Vicor’s expertise in modular power solutions was instrumental in overcoming this challenge.

Through their collaboration, Vicor and Microgate are helping to realise a telescope capable of competing with space-based observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope.

To hear more about this project, you can listen to Electronic Specifier’s interview on Spotify or Apple podcasts.   

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