Geoff Andersen (USAF Academy), Fassil Ghebremichael (Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control), and Ken Gurley (Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control)
Keywords: Telescopes, Instrumentation
Abstract:
There are several different types of wavefront sensors that can be used to measure the phase of an input beam. While they have widely varying modes of operation, they all require some computational overhead in order to deconstruct the phase from an optical measurement which greatly reduces the sensing speed. Furthermore, zonal detection methods, such as the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS) are not well suited to temporal changes in pupil obscuration such as can occur with scintillation. Here we present a modal detector that incorporates a multiplexed hologram to give a full description of wavefront error without the need for any calculations.
The holographic wavefront sensor (HWFS) uses a hologram that is “pre-programmed” with all desired Zernike aberration components. An input beam of arbitrary phase will diffract into pairs of focused beams. Each pair represents a different aberration, and the amplitude is obtained by measuring the relative brightness of the pair of foci. This can be easily achieved by using conventional position sensing devices. In this manner, the amplitudes of each aberration components are directly sensed without the need for any calculations. As such, a complete characterization of the wavefront can be made at speeds of up to 100 kHz in a compact device and without the need for a computer or sophisticated electronics.
In this talk we will detail the operation of the holographic wavefront sensor and present results of a prototype sensor as well as a modified design suitable for a closed-loop adaptive optics system. This new wavefront sensor will not only permit faster correction, but permit adaptive optics systems to work in extremely turbulent environments such as those encountered in fast-tracking systems and the Airborne Laser project.
Date of Conference: September 12-15, 2007
Track: Telescopes and Instrumentation