Robots for particle physics

The challenge

For a basic research project in the field of astroparticle physics, the movement system of a telescope must be as light and small as possible. In addition, the entire system is installed on the summit of one of the Canary Islands (difficult accessibility) and must have a service life of 15 years. Consequently, a grease-free system with limited maintenance was required.

The solution

A calibration device was mounted on a so-called XY table. This table consists of two 2.4-metre-long parallel linear rails (ZLW-1040), which are connected to a third 2.2-metre-long linear rail (ZLW-1080). The assembly was carried out in a 3 x 3m Cherenkov camera of a telescope with a focal length of 16 metres. A total of 9 NectarCAM 9 telescopes in the entire array (Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory) are equipped.