Susan Trolier-McKinstry on materials for the Lynx Space Telescope

Susan Trolier-McKinstry of The Pennsylvania State University, in an interview with MRS Bulletin editor Gopal R. Rao, talks about the use of piezoelectric thin films for “adaptive optics” for the future Lynx x-ray space telescope, and how materials research can help us understand the origins of the universe and the nature of black holes. She discusses which materials are chosen for this application; what the fundamental barriers are to the necessary materials integration; and how this same principle of “adaptive optics” using piezoelectric thin films can be used for other space applications and conventional terrestrial optical applications.