A Multi-Chamber System for Analyzing the Outgassing, Deposition, and Associated Optical Degradation Properties of Materials in a Vacuum

TL;DR

This paper introduces a multi-chamber system designed to analyze material outgassing, deposition, and their effects on optical properties in vacuum environments, aiding material selection for telescope cameras.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel multi-vessel apparatus capable of measuring outgassing rates, products, and optical degradation effects of materials in vacuum conditions.

Findings

Effective measurement of outgassing rates at various temperatures.

Quantification of optical transmission degradation due to outgassing deposits.

Minimized background contamination in measurements.

Abstract

We report on the Camera Materials Test Chamber, a multi-vessel apparatus which analyzes the outgassing consequences of candidate materials for use in the vacuum cryostat of a new telescope camera. The system measures the outgassing products and rates of samples of materials at different temperatures, and collects films of outgassing products to measure the effects on light transmission in six optical bands. The design of the apparatus minimizes potential measurement errors introduced by background contamination.