I am working on a project with Prof. David Allred and a group of undergraduate and graduate students that began with designing and testing a mirror for the Medium Exploror (MIDEX) Program. Our mirror was part of a device for imaging the upper atmosphere from space at a wavelength of 304 Angstroms. The mirror we designed was to have a relatively high reflectivity at 304 Angstroms (>20%) and a low reflectivity at 584 Angstroms (<0.2%). The research involves computer aided optical design, multi-layer mirror fabrication, measurement of optical properties of materials, and design and fabrication of test and measurement components.

Skills and Experience Required

Depending on the area of involvement, some of the following skils and/or experience could be valuable (I'm also willing to work with students to develop skills they have not yet acquired, but would like to learn): computer programming (FORTRAN95, MATLAB, and/or Java), vacuum systems, computer interface of experiments, statistical data anlysis, thin film optics, basic machine shop use.

Contact Details

If you have questions or are interested in pursuing this research project, contact R. Steven Turley for more information.