Magnetorheological elastomer-based deformable mirror using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane
Abstract
Deformable mirrors are widely used in astronomy, laser communications, and vision science, but conventional contact-based designs are limited by small achievable strokes (< 10 µm). To address this limitation, we developed a contactless deformable mirror based on a magnetorheological elastomer membrane actuated by an array of permanent magnets. The 50 mm diameter, 275 µm thick membrane, composed of PDMS with magnetite nanoparticles, exhibited surface roughness between 3 - 7 nm. Under magnetic flux densities from 21 mT to 77 mT, the mirror achieved deformations up to 0.97 mm using a 37 magnet hexagonal array. Numerical simulations performed in COMSOL showed excellent agreement with experiments, confirming the potential of magnetic actuation to overcome the stroke limitations of conventional deformable mirrors.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Vibration Control and Rheological Fluids
Structural Analysis and Optimization
Dielectric materials and actuators
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Optics Express
- Publisher
- Optica Publishing Group
- Volume
- 34
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 7484–7484
- Publication date
- 12 February 2026
- Language
- EN