Informational Articles & White Papers
Dream & Composites White Paper -

  Click on the graphic to the left to read the Q&A article about Dream itself. It highlights the reason Dream was formed in 2003, technical information about carbon fiber & resin, vacuum bagging, durability, the importance of Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE), etc.
Optics Related White Papers -

  Click on the graphic to the left to read the nationally published article about one of Dream's extremely lightweight mirrors. The 16" f1.376 engineered mirror is used for a cutting-edge Adaptive Optics project. The mirror face and features were roughly 3mm, yet Dream was able to process this mirror in-house with very low Mid-Spatial Frequency (MSF) errors, using conventional equipment, tools and materials, further validating Dream's extensive up-front engineering of lightweight mirrors (since 2003) and expertise in processing lightweight mirrors.

Click on the graphic to the right to read the article about performance-robbing thermals associated with solid mirrors, a 166 year-old problem

  

Click on the graphic above to read the article about off-axis performance of paraboloidal mirrors.
   This article highlights the reason it is impossible for an optician to "polish out" errors in the paraboloidal mirror, as well as the reason why correctors are needed for larger detectors, faster f-ratio mirrors, etc.

Click on the graphic to the right to read the Q&A article about lightweight mirrors. This article discusses numerous aspects regarding lightweight, "ribbed" mirrors; definition of, materials used, benefits, processing, fragility, etc.

  

Angular Resolution Article: Discusses the real limit set forth by optical physics as it relates to the resolution of mirrors. It also briefly discusses the diffraction-limit, aspect ratio & mirror stiffness, departure from sphere, and the human factor that is ever present in all things optics.

Aspect Ratio & Mirror Stiffness Article: Discusses the realities of the traditional 6:1 aspect ratio as it relates to stiffness with ever larger diameter mirrors, as well as the difficulties of supporting lower stiffness mirrors.

Using NASA LRO Moon Images to Quantify Resolution of a Telescope: A simple method for quantifying the resolution achieved by a astronomical or similar telescope. Watch the effects of atmospheric seeing here.
Optical and/or Optical Testing Articles - not authored by Dream

Subaperture Stitching Interferometry Enhances Advanced Freeform Optics: Discusses the definition of freeform optics, the difficulties of testing them and the differences between Computer-Generated Hologram (CGH) testing them versus using subaperture stitching interferometry.

High-precision optics enable LIGO's new view of the Universe: Discusses some optical aspects of LIGO, arguable the world's most precise interferometer(s), which first detected gravitation waves in 2016. "At the heart of the discovery lies fused silica optics with figure quality and surface smoothness refined to enable measurement of these incredibly small perturbations. LIGO went through extensive testing of First Contact, which is now their optical surface cleaning method of choice.

Center of curvature test of James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): Discusses center of curvature testing of 18-segment primary mirror of JWST using dynamic interferometry. Each hexagonal primary mirror segment is made from beryllium.

Current state of the art - 13.5nm lithography: Discusses some aspects of current state of the art Extreme UV (EUV) 13.5nm lithography. "The leading edge today is 14 nm—the Rhino virus that causes the common cold is twice as large."