Untitled - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de l'Observatoire de Grenoble

Among the various areas of expertise, very specific competences are available at LAOG, mainly related
to micro-technologies. One concerns fiber optics and integrated optics conditioning, testing and operation for
interferometry. The other one concerns adaptive optics mirror design and building.
An important part of the software development activity, oriented towards interferometry users, is related to
the JMMC (Jean-Marie Mariotti Center, see GRIL chapter and next Appendix).
18.3 Equipment
The LAOG building contains specific facilities for technical developments and instrument integration activities.
• Machine shop with required machining and metrology tools.
• Working stations for CAO (mechanical design and finite element analysis together with related printing
capabilities, thermal simulation, electronic design, optical design).
• An optical lab dedicated to all Interferometry / Integrated Optics developments. It includes:
– facilities for guided optics characterization and connectorization.
– An anti-vibration bench devoted to interferometric measurements related to the image reconstruction
issues connected to the VITRUV developments,
– An anti-vibration bench devoted to interferometric measurements related to thermal IR wave guide
characterization.
• A small clean room for detector integrations, and micro-optics mounting.
• An optical lab for adaptive optics developments, mainly for various Micro Deformable Mirrors characterization.
• An electronic lab with all required tools
• A 200 m 2 , 8-m high integration hall with related facilities (handling, fluid distribution capabilities, control
rooms)
• Vacuum room with all related equipment, including Helium leak detector
• Specific metrology equipments for component and instrument qualification (Wavefront Sensor , electronic
auto pointing collimators, optical and mechanical displacement sensors)
• Specific sources and detectors for near and thermal infrared operations, and photometric characterization.
Oncoming activities will require a significant evolution of the existing technical support. Due to the increasing
range of activities but also to professional evolutions, it is already necessary to hire new engineers and
technicians, specialists of adaptive optics system, of mechanical design and of software development. It is also
mandatory to improve the LAOG experimental integration facilities, especially to be able to achieve the VLT-PF
and possibly VITRUV, integration phases in state-of-the-art conditions. One of the major foreseen improvements
is the environmental control of the integration hall and of the optical lab. The strong constrains that
apply to these sophisticated instruments are a major issue in order to meet the expected severe requirements.
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