Computationally efficient performance simulations for a thirty-meter telescope (TMT) point design

Modeling extremely large ground based optical telescopes is growing in complexity as the level of design detail is increasing. Our model of a 30m telescope includes a modal system of differential equations that represent the telescope structure, an edge controller to monitor and correct the gaps between mirrors of the hexagonally segmented primary mirror, an optical engine that propagates light through the telescope and calculates performance metrics at the exit pupil of the telescope, and a course optical control that can correct the wavefront for tip and tilt. Simulating one minute of telescope observing time with wind and atmospheric disturbances is a computationally intense proposition. The software tools in our arsenal include MATLAB (The MathWorks, Inc.) and OSLO (Lambda Research Corporation). Descriptions of the simulation components, and the results of telescope simulations are presented.