Extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) systems are optimized for high-contrast imaging and coronagraphy. ExAO systems are currently limited to wavefront sensing using a bright natural guide star (NGS) due to the need for high precision wavefront control. Recent advances in sodium laser guide star (LGS) technology such as high power, efficient laser sources and pre-compensation of the laser uplink overcome previous limitations in LGS technology, opening up the potential for LGS technology to improve ExAO system performance with dim targets. The LAser guide Star Sensor Integrated Extreme adaptive optics (LASSIE) project at the Starfire Optical Range will explore the trade space in beacon size, brightness, coherence, and wavefront sensor design to preform path-finding research on the potential performance of an uplink-corrected LGS-ExAO system. In this presentation we will discuss the current progress of the LASSIE project.
The Laser guide Star Sensor Integrated Extreme adaptive optics (LASSIE) project seeks to improve extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) performance for dim objects using a laser guide star (LGS) AO system to correct for higher spatial frequency phase aberrations minimizing the flux required for the NGS wavefront measurement. As part of that effort, the LASSIE program is exploring avenues for improving LGS AO performance through pre-compensation of the uplink beam and improved wavefront sensor design. Various systems designs are explored to estimate performance improvement that may be obtained with a pre-compensated LGS AO system and an optimized wavefront sensor design relative to a standard ExAO system.
Currently, astronomical wavefront sensor (WFS) are optimized for two types of sources: natural guide stars (NGS) using an unresolved star as the reference or laser guide stars (LGS) with a large resolved beacon. In the former case, the coherent approximation is valid, while in the latter case, the incoherent approximation can be applied; we examine cases where neither approximation is valid or the partially coherent case. To date, there has been limited research on optimizing a WFS design for a partially coherent beacon, though there are at least two important applications: uplink corrected laser beacons and artificially induced partial coherence in modulated pyramid designs. Using Hopkins' formula1 we have derived an approximate expression for the Fisher information matrix (FIM) for any wavefront sensor design using Fourier plane filtering2 with a particular emphasis on the pyramid and Zernike WFS. From this expression we show that degradation in WFS sensitivity is primarily due to the combining of incoherent pupil point pairs. The expression also gives rise to an alternative method for modeling WFS in the partially coherent regime using the magnitude of the complex coherence factor and the WFS's coherent impulse response (CIR) to approximate the detector output. We explore two methods for optimizing WFS sensitivity with a partially coherent beacon: pupil segmentation and impulse response engineering. In the former case, the pupil is subdivided via to match the coherence area of the source and a separate coherent wavefront sensing technique is used to retrieve higher order modes in each subaperture. The latter approach optimizes the CIR of a WFS to limit the spread of light to the coherence area of the source. The effectiveness of these methods is explored through wave-optic simulation, using both the newly developed CIR method and the more standard fast Fourier transform (FFT) approach. The simulation results are also compared to measurements from a bench-level adaptive optics (AO) system using a novel software-defined WFS with two spatial light modulators (SLM) at the pupil plane and Fourier plane respectively to allow for rapid configuration of multiple WFS designs without the need for hardware changes. Bench-level measurements of the WFS sensitivity to photon noise are presented to further validate the theoretical and simulation predictions for optimal wavefront sensing with partially coherent beacons.
Wavefront sensor (WFS) design typically focuses on reference sources at the two extremes of spatial coherence: –spatially coherent natural guide stars (NGS) and spatially incoherent laser guide stars (LGS). We propose a hybrid WFS architecture for sources that fall between those two extremes such as might be achieved with an uplink corrected LGS source. This architecture uses a lenslet array to segment the pupil plane, but the subaperture size is based on the coherence area of the reference source, and a separate WFS technique behind each lenslet is used to achieve the desired spatial sampling of the wavefront. The initial concept presented here is a hybrid Shack-Hartmann Pyramid WFS, though the concept can be applied to other WFS techniques.
The work of Pique showed that multiple guidestars emitting at 1140 nm and 589 nm simultaneously could be utilized to correct for Tip and Tilt aberrations [1]. Such a guidestar is hence known as a PLGS (Polychromatic Laser Guidestar). However, no current high power (> 5W) narrow bandwidth (< 1GHz) exist for 1140 nm emission. A Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VECSEL) is shown with high power > 12W and narrow bandwidth emission which has been successfully used to pump the sodium 3P3/2 to 4S1/2 sodium transition as a testbed for the development of a CW PLGS system.
This is the first of two papers discussing aspects of placing the deformable mirror in a location
not conjugate to the pupil plane of the telescope.
The Starfire Optical Range, Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate
is in the process of developing a high efficiency AO system for its 3.5m optical telescope. The
objective is to achieve maximum diffraction limited performance, i.e., largest pupil diameter
possible, and maximum optical throughput. The later can be achieved by placing the deformable
mirror outside the pupil. However placing the DM in a location not conjugate to the pupil results
in a degradation in optical performance. This paper discusses experimental measurements of
the degradation.
In this paper we discuss the DM-not-in-pupil experimental testbed, the difficulties associated
with creating this type of testbed, and how these difficulties were overcome. We also present
results from the successful lab demonstration of closed loop performance with the DM placed out
of pupil. We experimentally measured the degradation in Strehl and implemented a mitigation
technique. Our experimental results indicate the mean degradation in Strehl as a result of placing
the DM out of pupil to be between 7% and 9 %. This result is comparable with wave optics
simulation and theoretical results which will be discussed in a companion paper, "Adaptive
optics with DM not in pupil - Part 2: Mitigation of Degradation".
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.