Dual conjugate adaptive optics testbed: progress report

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the progress of the construction of the Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics laboratory test-bed at the University of Victoria, Canada. The test-bed will be used to support research in the performance of multi-conjugate adaptive optics, turbulence simulators, laser guide stars and miniaturizing adaptive optics. The main components of the test-bed include two micro-machined deformable mirrors, a tip-tilt mirror, four wavefront sensors, a source simulator, a dual-layer turbulence simulator, as well as computational and control hardware. The paper describes changes in the optomechanical design, characteristics of the hot-air turbulence generator, performance achievements with the tip-tilt and MEMS deformable mirrors as well as the design and performance of the wavefront sensors and control software.

Multiconjugation Optical Relay for an Off‐Axis Solar Telescope

“…Tomographic wave-front retrieval (using wave-front measurements from several positions in the FOV) has been numerically simulated by Ellerbroek (1994) and Fusco (1999). More recently, experimental closed-loop correction has been demonstrated in the laboratory (Knutsson & Owner-Petersen 2003;Wallace et al 2003;Langlois et al 2004c) and at telescopes for solar observations (Langlois et al 2004b). In the case of solar MCAO, several guiding regions are selected within a single wave-front sensor with a large FOV (1Ј-2Ј), and the wave front is evaluated using cross-correlation on the subimages.…”