Results of atmospheric compensation using a wavefront curvature-based adaptive optics system

An adaptive optics system usually has three basic elements, a wavefront sensor, a deformable element, and a feedback scheme. Typically these components are a Shack-Hartmann sensor, a bimorph or segmented mirror, and a DSP solution for performing the necessary calculations. These components are expensive, and give rise to a complex optical and computational system. In this paper a novel implementation of an adaptive optics system will be discussed. The wavefront sensor is based on an IMP grating to measure the curvature of the incoming light. This sensor has been found to be robust to scintillation, so is applicable to horizontal propagation paths. An OKO technologies deformable mirror is used, and the feedback loop calculations run on a standard Pentium III computer using Windows 2000. Results from recent trials of the system correcting for errors over various horizontal propagation lengths will be shown. Additionally results using this system for laser beam propagation will also be discussed.