Hind High Vacuum Bags Prestigious Contract from Physical Research Laboratory, Department of Space, GoI

Bengaluru, India – Hind High Vacuum Co Pvt Ltd (HHV), a global leader in vacuum and thin film technology, has announced that it has bagged a prestigious contract from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), a unit of the Department of Space, Government of India (GoI), for the manufacture and installation of a dedicated mirror coating plant for PRL’s upcoming 2.5-meter telescope. This telescope is part of the Mount Abu Observatory, which is located at an altitude of about 5,600 feet above mean sea level on the Gurushikhar peak of Mount Abu, Rajasthan.

HHV was recently short-listed by the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO) and India TMT Co-ordination Committee (ITCC) to develop the conceptual design of the coater for secondary and tertiary mirrors of their upcoming telescope, based on its track record in the building of telescopic mirror coaters and proven competency in the design and development of optical coatings.

Telescope mirrors are one of the most important components for sensing radiation from faraway sources. These should be coated with a thin reflective film to help with light collection. Environmental degradation causes the reflective coatings to degrade, necessitating re-coating. The existing coatings are removed, and a new one is applied. To achieve the best properties in terms of reflectivity and durability, these coatings are applied using a vacuum deposition process. The mirrors are coated on-site because they are sensitive and one of the most expensive components in the telescope assembly. As a result, astronomical observatories have a vacuum coater on-site to coat the mirror at regular intervals.

PRL, which was founded in 1947 by Dr Vikram Sarabhai and is known as India’s cradle of space sciences, conducts fundamental research in selected areas of Physics, Space & Atmospheric Sciences, Astronomy, Astrophysics & Solar Physics, and Planetary & Geo-Sciences. TMT is a joint venture between scientific institutions in Canada, China, India, Japan, and the United States to build a 30 m diameter optical-infrared telescope, which will be one of the world’s largest optical telescopes.

HHV is currently completing an order from the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) in Udaipur for the construction of a mirror coater capable of handling mirrors up to 700 mm in diameter. PRL’s recent order highlights HHV’s technical competency in this niche area. HHV continues to invest in this area, integrating its coaters with proven process recipes for the deposition of highly reflective and durable thin film coating stacks, and looks forward to participating in more such projects in the future.

“Astronomical telescopic mirrors coaters require a technologically advanced high-vacuum equipment design, engineering, and manufacturing. HHV has been globally recognized as a trusted supplier for coaters for telescopic mirrors and has commissioned and demonstrated its coaters at various locations, including demanding high altitudes going up to about 14,800 feet.” elaborated Prasanth Sakhamuri, Managing Director, HHV. “The telescope mirrors size of up to 3700 mm diameter and weighing more than 4000 kg can be accommodated in HHV coating chambers with a maximum overall dimension of 4000 × 2100 mm. The coaters offer an automated and highly reliable process for coating mirrors with Aluminium and/or Silver-based coatings.”

He further added, “HHV is proud to be the supplier of the coating plant for several organizations in India and across the world, such as the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIAP), Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), and Observatory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, Moscow State University (Russian Federation).”

Image Source: Hind High Vacuum Co Pvt Ltd

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