Dylan Ichikawa was born and raised on the island of O’ahu. He graduated from Kaiser High School in 2002. He is entering his senior year in University of Hawai’i at Manoa College of Engineering’s Electrical Engineering program and will be graduating in May 2007. He is active in Eta Kappa Nu, the electrical engineering’s honor society. He enjoys going to the beach, meeting new people, and learning new things. After receiving his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Hawai’i, he hopes to start his engineering career and stay in Hawai’i.
Institution when accepted: University of Hawai’i at M?noa College
Akamai Project:Â Naysmith Optics for the SOLAR-C Telescope
Project Site:Â Institute for Astronomy Maui
Mentors: Jeff Kuhn and J.D. Armstrong
Project Abstract:
The University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy designed the SOLAR-C telescope, an off-axis Gregorian system, in the early 1990’s. The main purpose of this telescope is to allow for coronal observations of the sun. Currently, the SOLAR-C telescope does not have a Naysmith optical system, which is a system of lenses and mirror(s) to move the final image that is formed in the telescope to a position outside the body of the telescope. The objective of this project is to apply the principles of optics in the near-infrared spectrum to design and implement the image extraction system for the SOLAR-C telescope. With an image extraction optical system, adaptive optics and larger instruments could be placed outside the body of the telescope. Hand-drawn geometric ray tracing and computer simulations done with Zemax, an optical simulation program, will allow for the investigations of certain properties of the design. The properties that will be investigated are the final image spots sizes, encircled energy radii, and spherical, focal, and chromatic aberrations. Tradeoffs between lens materials, type, and placement with respect to image quality are considered in the design process. The final design and computer simulated results will be discussed.