Protected silver coatings at the IAC. Monitoring the degradation of the reflectivity of the coatings at the Izaña Observatory

The Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) has been improving its capabilities for the design and manufacture of optical components for several years, especially the development of protective silver coatings for telescope mirrors up to 1.6 meters in diameter. These mirrors are of great interest to the astronomical community due to their high reflectivity, but in harsh, sulfur-rich environments such as observatories, silver degrades very rapidly and Our current research focuses on improving the long-term stability and environmental resistance of silver coatings by optimizing deposition parameters and applying protective layers.