Honeycomb mirrors of borosilicate glass

The fabrication of different types of honeycomb mirrors with various kinds of borosilicate glass is discussed. Borosilicate glass is much less expensive to make than zero expansion glass, and can be used for ground-based applications. A mirror 60 cm in diameter made with a slotted strut or egg-crate honeycomb of 6 mm polished Pyrex plate is shown. The faceplates are 12 mm thick, laminated from the same 6 mm sheet. The result of an interferometric test is shown, with residual errors of about wavelength/8 RMS. An alternative fabrication technique for very large mirrors which require high quality bonds between separate sheets of thick Pyrex is described. The result of a recent test casting of a 60 cm honeycomb structure made in a mold with towers 14 cm square and 6 mm gaps between is shown, and methods to cast an entire mirror in one operation are discussed.