%0 Journal Article %T Active Optics—Progress in Modeling of Tulip-like Variable Curvature Mirrors %+ Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM) %A Lemaitre, Gerard %A Vola, Pascal %A Lanzoni, Patrick %< avec comité de lecture %@ 2673-3269 %J Optics %I MDPI %S Optics %V 4 %N 1 %P 39-54 %8 2023-01-13 %D 2023 %R 10.3390/opt4010004 %Z Sciences of the Universe [physics]Journal articles %X We present new results obtained from the modeling of a tulip-like variable curvature mirror (VCM) in the case of a central force that reacts to its contour. From Nastran finite element analysis, we shows that 3-D optimizations, using non-linear static flexural option, with an appropriate solution sequence, provide an accurate tulip-like VCM thickness distribution. This allows us to take into account boundary conditions, including the thin outer collarette and its link to a rigid ring. Modeling with a quenched stainless steel chromium substrate provides diffraction-limited optical surfaces. Rayleigh’s quarter-wave criterion is performed over a zoom range from flat up to f/3.5 convexity over a 13 mm clear aperture and 10 daN central force. The optical testing results of a prototype tulip-like VCM elaborated from the previous analytic theory, show quasi-diffraction-limited figures for a zoom range up to f/5. The present modeling results should significantly help in the future construction of such VCMs with a zoom range extended up to f/3.5. %G English %2 https://u-bourgogne.hal.science/hal-03956444/document %2 https://u-bourgogne.hal.science/hal-03956444/file/optics-04-00004.pdf %L hal-03956444 %U https://u-bourgogne.hal.science/hal-03956444 %~ INSU %~ UNIV-BOURGOGNE %~ CNRS %~ UNIV-AMU %~ CNES %~ LAM %~ OSU-INSTITUT-PYTHEAS