A fast, wide-field and distortion-free telescope with curved detectors for surveys at ultra-low surface brightness

Abstract: We present the design of an all-reflective, bi-folded Schmidt telescope aimed at surveys of extended astronomical objects with extremely-low surface brightness. The design leads to a high image quality without any diffracting spider, along with a large aperture and field of view, with a small central obstruction which barely alters the PSF. As an example, we present the design of a high-quality, 36 cm diameter, fast ( f /2.5) telescope working in the visible with a large field of view (1.6{\deg}x 2.6{\deg}). The telescope can operate with a curved detector (or with a flat detector with a field flattener) and a set of filters. The entrance mirror is anamorphic and replaces the classical Schmidt entrance corrector plate. We show that this anamorphic primary mirror can be manufactured through stress polishing, avoiding high spatial frequency errors, and tested with a simple interferometer scheme. This prototype is intended to serve as a fast-track scientific and technological pathfinder for the future space-based MESSIER mission.