Related papers: Fried Parameter Estimation from Single Wavefront S…
Ground-based high contrast exoplanet imaging requires state-of-the-art adaptive optics (AO) systems in order to detect extremely faint planets next to their brighter host stars. For such extreme AO systems (with high actuator count…
This paper presents a study of the atmospheric refraction and its effect on the light coupling efficiency in an instrument using single-mode optical fibers. We show the analytical approach which allowed us to assess the need to correct the…
In order for telescopes to obtain good and precise images they need to see through atmospheric turbulence. To accomplish this and compensate for atmospheric turbulence we use Adaptive Optics technologies. In this thesis we analyze the…
The next generation of giant ground and space telescopes will have the light-collecting power to detect and characterize potentially habitable terrestrial exoplanets using high-contrast imaging for the first time. This will only be…
The Adaptive Optics Facility (AOF) project envisages transforming one of the VLT units into an adaptive telescope and providing its ESO (European Southern Observatory) second generation instruments with turbulence corrected wavefronts. For…
We consider the mathematical background of the wavefront sensor type that is widely used in Adaptive Optics systems for astronomy, microscopy, and ophthalmology. The theoretical analysis of the pyramid sensor forward operators presented in…
Disturbances such as atmospheric turbulence and aero-optic effects lead to wavefront aberrations, which degrade performance in imaging and laser propagation applications. Adaptive optics (AO) provide a method to mitigate these effects by…
Several types of Wavefront Sensors (WFS) are nowadays available in the field of Adaptive Optics (AO). Generally speaking, their basic principle consists in measuring slopes or curvatures of Wavefront Errors (WFE) transmitted by a telescope,…
We present a concept of a millimeter wavefront sensor that allows real-time sensing of the surface of a ground-based millimeter/submillimeter telescope. It is becoming important for ground-based millimeter/submillimeter astronomy to make…
Wavefront sensing is a set of techniques providing efficient means to ascertain the shape of an optical wavefront or its deviation from an ideal reference. Due to its wide dynamical range and high optical efficiency, the Shack-Hartmann is…
Adaptive optics (AO) have been used to correct wavefronts to achieve diffraction limited point spread functions in a broad range of optical applications, prominently ground-based astronomical telescopes operating in near infra-red. While…
Ground-based astronomy is severely limited by the atmospheric turbulence, resulting in a large Point-Spread-Function (PSF) and poor imaging resolution. Even imaging with Adaptive Optics (AO) cannot completely correct the aberrated…
This paper proposes a unified statistical channel model to characterize the atmospheric turbulence induced distortions faced by orbital angular momentum (OAM) in free space optical (FSO) communication systems. In this channel model, the…
Atmospheric turbulence characterization is crucial for technologies like free-space optical communications. Existing methods using a spatially-integrated one-dimensional (1D) orbital angular momentum (OAM) spectrum, P(m), obscure the…
Adaptive optics is a technique mostly used on large telescopes. It turns out to be challenging for smaller telescopes (0.5~2m) due to the small isoplanatic angle, small subapertures and high correction speeds needed at visible wavelengths,…
The Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) is an integral field spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope Unit Telescope 4, capable of laser guide star assisted and tomographic adaptive optics using the GALACSI module. Its observing…
(abridged) Extreme adaptive optics (XAO) encounters severe difficulties to cope with the high speed (>1kHz), high accuracy and high order requirements for future extremely large telescopes. An innovative high order adaptive optics system…
The ability to simulate atmospheric turbulence in the lab is a crucial part of testing and developing astronomical adaptive optics technology. We report on the development of a technique for creating phase plates, which involves the…
Consistent operation of adaptive optics (AO) systems requires the use of a wavefront sensor (WFS) with high sensitivity and low noise. The nonlinear curvature WFS (nlCWFS) has been shown both in simulations and lab experiments to be more…
We investigate the focal plane wavefront sensing technique, known as Phase Diversity, at the scientific focal plane of a segmented mirror telescope with an adaptive optics (AO) system. We specifically consider an optical system imaging a…