TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

ACTIVE OPTICS [1 record]

Record 1 2009-05-07

English

Subject field(s)
  • Optics
DEF

Optics pertaining to the development and use of optical components whose characteristics are controlled during their operational use; in contrast to inactive, rigid, or fixed optics.

OBS

Active optics is a relatively new technology for reflecting telescopes developed in the 1980s, which has more recently enabled the construction of a generation of telescopes with 8 metre primary mirrors. Active optics works by "actively" adjusting the telescope's mirrors. This method is used by, among others, the Nordic Optical Telescope, the New Technology Telescope and the Keck telescopes, as well as all of the largest telescopes built in the last decade.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Optique
CONT

En astronomie, l'optique active désigne la technologie qui consiste à déformer un miroir réflecteur à fin d'optimiser sa qualité d'image (mise au foyer), et corriger les différentes aberrations optiques (comme la coma, l'astigmatisme, le trèfle etc).

OBS

L'optique active ne doit pas être confondue avec l'optique adaptative qui consiste à corriger les déformations de l'image due à la turbulence atmosphérique en temps réel (c'est-à-dire avec une fréquence de quelques Hertz). L'optique active est utilisée, parmi d'autres, par les télescopes suivants : Nordic Optical Telescope, New Technology Telescope à l'Observatoire de La Silla, les télescopes du Very Large Telescope et les Télescopes Keck situés à Hawaii.

Spanish

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