Optical Surfaces high precision spherical mirrors are used in a huge variety of applications including Schlieren imaging, wind tunnels, observatory spectrographs, bubble chambers and to test hyperboloids (as Hindle spheres).
Benefiting from workshops and test facilities deep underground, where temperatures remain constant and vibration is practically non-existent, Optical Surfaces routinely produces high precision spherical mirrors in a wide range of materials and coatings. Typical achievable surface accuracy is better than lambda/30 p-v, surface quality 10:5 scratch dig and micro roughness less than 1.2nm RMS.
A typical example of these capabilities is a 1.3-metre diameter spectrograph spherical mirror supplied to the Royal Greenwich Observatory (UK) that was installed on the 2.5-metre Isaac Newton Telescope located at La Palma in the Canary Islands. This spectrograph contributed to obtaining the first observable evidence of the existence of black holes.
