Abstract

A team at Goddard Space Flight center has developed a coating of aluminum mirrors they term XeLiF. This coating has high ultraviolet reflection and improved environmental stability over similar LiF coatings. For these reasons, it is a potential candidate for the future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) flagship space telescope mission. However, the stability of XeLiF at the planned L2 orbit of HWO has not been investigated. This study highlights the potential damage to XeLiF when irradiated by electrons that will be present at L2. This radiation will begin removing LiF after 6 years of exposure as well as start roughening the surface. An RMS roughness over 40 nm will be reached by 30 years. Protective measures or replacement coatings need to be investigated.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences; Physics and Astronomy

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-01-06

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13462

Keywords

LiF, HWO, radiation damage, L2 orbit, SEM

Language

english

Share

COinS