Verification of the active deformation compensation system of the LMT/GTM by end-to-end simulations

The 50 m LMT/GTM is exposed to the climatic conditions at 4,600 m height on Cerro La Negra, Mexico. For operating the telescope to the challenging requirements of its millimeter objective, an active approach for monitoring and compensating the structural deformations (Flexible Body Compensation FBC) is necessary. This system includes temperature sensors and strain gages for identifying large scale deformations of the reflector backup structure, a laser system for measuring the subreflector position, and an inclinometer system for measuring the deformations of the alidade. For compensating the monitored deformations, the telescope is equipped with additional actuators for active control of the main reflector surface and the subreflector position. The paper describes the verification of the active deformation system by finite element calculations and MATLAB simulations of the surface accuracy and the pointing including the servo under the operational wind and thermal conditions.