Program and Agenda

Optical Engineering and Fabrication Facility

The Optical Engineering and Fabrication Facility began as Optical Sciences Center founding director Dr. Aden Meinel's "Large Optics Shop", established in 1964 for research and manufacturing of large optics to support the Optics and Astronomy community as well as government interests. The group is located in the Wyant College of Optical Sciences on the main campus of the University of Arizona. We specialize in optomechanics and optical metrology for large optics.

The group possesses full capabilities covering design, analysis, fabrication, assembly and testing of large optics and optical systems. Examples include the 4.2 m DKIST off-axis parabola, 4.3 m DCT primary, and two 6.5 m primary mirrors as well as the PolyCam instrument for the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission. We are currently supporting the US ELT programs GMT and TMT.

Mach 5 Ludwieg Tube

The Mach 5 Ludwieg Tube (LT5) is a 15-inch diameter wind tunnel that produces short-duration, high quality hypersonic flow. Design began largely in-house in 2017 and it was declared operational in 2021. The facility currently features a conventional nozzle producing a free-stream acoustic noise level of <1.2%. A quiet nozzle designed to dramatically reduce this noise is scheduled for installation soon. LT5 is primarily used for experiments focused on boundary-layer transition and aerothermal loading. New capabilities, including force and moment measurements, aero-optics, laser/surface and laser/flow field interactions are under development.

Arizona Polysonic Wind Tunnel (in the High-Speed Aerodynamics, Unsteadiness and Flow Control Laboratory)

The Arizona Polysonic Wind Tunnel (APWT) is a 15 x 15 inch (0.38 x 0.38 m) intermittent blowdown facility, supplied with 1200 ft3 (34 m3) of dried air at 2100 psi (14.6 MPa), with six Mach number nozzle pairs ranging from 1.75 to 4.0. It is the largest facility of its type at any US university, representing a unique test environment for students, researchers, and industry partners. Efforts are underway to further expand this capability from mid-subsonic (Mach 0.5), through transonic (near Mach 1), and up to low hypersonic (Mach 5). Two large compressors supply a maximum daily air supply of 28,900 lb (13.1 tons), which can be depleted at up to 500 lb/s (227 kg/s) during testing. Control valves throttle the air supply to a user-defined test profile. Test gas is ultimately directed through a diffuser and exhaust tower into the atmosphere. Maximum single test times range up to 90 s, with maximum daily throughput of up to 5 min. APWT was originally constructed by Fairchild Republic on Long Island, NY in 1956. It has since been operated at numerous institutions across Long Island (Grumman, Polytechnic University, and GASL/Orbital ATK) and has supported inlet/isolator studies (including the F-14 inlet), shuttle orbiter designs, and shock-vortex interaction research. APWT became operational in 2023 with funding from UArizona, TRMC, the state of Arizona and ARO. The facility supports fundamental student-led research through to industry-led restricted-access projects.