A conventional telescope receiver collects light and transmits it to a focal plane. This project will replace a conventional telescope receiver with a plastic sheet that weighs only one-tenth as much. The device records a hologram of a conventional telescope on a very thin, 5 to 10 mmm thick, plastic sheet, which is coated with a photosensitive recording layer. These wafer-thin plastic holograms can transmit light signals with very little noise. To develop holographic reflectors, phase i will select plastics and photopolymers that can withstand the vacuum and uv radiation in space. The project will also analyze how much the reflectors will distort from heat, how the telescope should be designed, and how to record a holographic mirror on the photopolymer/plastic layer. The project will measure the reflector's efficiency and resolution. Although this technology would serve best in monochromatic (single wavelength light) systems, such as laser radar, wider band applications are feasible. Its ultra-light weight makes the reflector suitable for space-based lidar (laser imaging radar) systems . Other applications include target designators, remote sensors of gases, and atmospheric systems to measure temperature, pressure, and wind fields to forecast the weather.
