Related papers: Laboratory testing of the Ingot WFS

The nonlinear curvature wavefront sensor (nlCWFS) has been shown to be a promising alternative to existing wavefront sensor designs. Theoretical studies indicate that the inherent sensitivity of this device could offer up to a factor of 10…

We propose a novel control approach that combines offline supervised learning to address the challenges posed by non-linear phase reconstruction using unmodulated pyramid wavefront sensors (P-WFS) and online reinforcement learning for…

Pyramid wavefront sensors (PWFSs) are the preferred choice for current and future extreme adaptive optics (XAO) systems. Almost all instruments use the PWFS in its modulated form to mitigate its limited linearity range. However, this…

A new wavefront sensing approach, derived from the successful curvature wavefront sensing concept but using a non-linear phase retrieval wavefront reconstruction scheme, is described. The non-linear curvature wavefront sensor (nlCWFS)…

Advanced AO systems will likely utilise Pyramid wave-front sensors (PWFS) over the traditional Shack-Hartmann sensor in the quest for increased sensitivity, peak performance and ultimate contrast. Here, we wish to bring knowledge and…

Non-common path quasi-static and differential aberrations are one of the big hurdles of direct imaging for current and future high-contrast imaging instruments. They increase speckle and photon noise thus reducing the achievable contrast…

The success of ground-based instruments for high contrast exoplanet imaging depends on the degree to which adaptive optics (AO) systems can mitigate atmospheric turbulence. While modern AO systems typically suffer from millisecond time lags…

The sensitivity of the the pyramid wavefront sensor (PyWFS) has made it a popular choice for astronomical adaptive optics (AAO) systems, and it is at its most sensitive when it is used without modulation of the input beam. In non-modulated…

The next generation of large ground- and space-based optical telescopes will have segmented primary mirrors. Co-phasing the segments requires a sensitive wavefront sensor capable of measuring phase discontinuities. The Zernike wavefront…

Weak gravitational lensing observations are a key science driver for the NASA Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). To validate the performance of the WFIRST infrared detectors, we have performed a laboratory emulation of weak…

In the last two decades many people have been searching for the optimal wavefront sensor as it can boost the performance of high-contrast imagining by orders of magnitude on the ELTs. According classical information theory, the optimal…

Laser guide stars (LGSs) have been deployed for the last 20-30 years in ground-based astronomical telescopes to overcome the limited sky coverage of classical adaptive optics (AO) systems. Unfortunately, slow altitude drifts of the sodium…

We present numerical characterizations of the wavefront sensing performance for few-mode photonic lantern wavefront sensors (PLWFSs). These characterizations include calculations of throughput, control space, sensor linearity, and an…

Wave front sensing of the surface of equal phase for a propagating electromagnetic wave is a vital technology in fields ranging from real time adaptive optics, to high accuracy metrology, to medical optometry. We have developed a new method…

In astronomy and microscopy, distortions in the wavefront affect the dynamic range of a high contrast imaging system. These aberrations are either imposed by a turbulent medium such as the atmosphere, by static or thermal aberrations in the…

Wavefront sensors have now become core components in the fields of metrology of optical systems, biomedical optics, and adaptive optics systems for astronomy. However, none of the designs used or proposed so far achieve simultaneously a…

The 2.5m Isaac Newton Telescope(INT) is currently being used to carry out a major multi-colour, multi-epoch, CCD based wide field survey over an area of 100 square degrees. The survey parameters have been chosen to maximise scientific…

In this paper we report on the laboratory experiment we settled in the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) to investigate the pyramid wavefront sensor (WFS) ability to measure the differential piston on a sparse aperture. The ultimate…

The Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) stands out as one of the most sensitive optical systems for measuring the phase of an incoming wavefront, reaching photon efficiencies close to the fundamental limit. This quality, combined with the fact…

In the last few years the concept of an active space telescope has been greatly developed, to meet demanding requirements with a substantial reduction of tolerances, risks and costs. This is the frame of the LATT project (an ESA TRP) and…