Royce Jarred Uy was born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in Waipahu, Hawai‘i. He graduated from Waipahu High School in 2022 Jim and is currently a third-year undergraduate Mechanical Engineering student at UH Manoa. Royce’s interests include 3D printing, CAD, and research in Energy Transport and Conversion. In his free time, he likes to go to the gym and spend time with friends.
Home Island: O‘ahu
High School: Waipahu High School
Institution when accepted: UH Manoa
Project Site: University of California Observatories, Santa Cruz, California
Mentors: Chris Ratliff & Matt Radovan
Project title: Designing, 3D Modeling, and Performance Analysis of Keck I’s Secondary Mirror System for Non-Adaptive and Adaptive Optics
Project Abstract:
Adaptive optics (AO) corrects wavefront distortions caused by atmospheric turbulence and telescope optics imperfections, significantly enhancing the resolution and image quality of ground-based telescopes. Traditional AO systems use additional optical components outside the main optical path to reduce light throughput. The Keck Adaptive Secondary Mirror (KASM) project is currently developing an Adaptive Optics (AO) system integrated directly on the secondary mirror of the Keck I Telescope to maximize light throughput. One of the key engineering design challenges is that the adaptive secondary mirror must fit within the existing secondary mirror socket, which provides structural support and alignment for the mirrors. To address this, this project aims to create a comprehensive 3D model of the secondary mirror and socket assembly using SolidWorks. Both the existing (non-adaptive) mirror design and the proposed (adaptive) mirror design are being modeled, incorporating detailed features such as mounting interfaces, weldment assemblies, and support structures. Additionally, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) will be used to simulate mechanical behavior, such as deformation under load and vibrational analysis, of both the existing and proposed structures. FEA allows for the identification of structural weaknesses and the prediction of deformation. These mechanical modeling and analysis efforts enable the integration of the adaptive secondary mirror in the Keck I Telescope. The work contributes to supporting Keck’s overall goal of achieving a higher resolution and sharper astronomical imaging.