Principles of Adaptive Optics

Principles of Adaptive Optics covers the basic principles of optics, wavefront sensing, controls, and wavefront correction that encompass the specialized field called adaptive optics. This book is composed of eight chapters that summarize the fundamental technology developments and the basic understanding of the various disciplines used in adaptive optics. After briefly reviewing the history, background, and developments of adaptive optics, this book goes on discussing the many sources of phase aberrations addressed by adaptive optics systems, such as linear effects due to turbulence, optical manufacturing, and misalignments, as well as errors that result from nonlinear thermal effects and fluid properties. The subsequent chapter deals with the performance enhancing role of adaptive optics systems in various disturbances. Other chapters describe the wavefront sampling, sensing, and correction subsystems. The concluding chapters explore the fundamental principles behind the adaptive optics control system and present summary expressions to determine the basic system parameters of an adaptive optics atmospheric compensation system. Communication scientists and engineers will find this work invaluable.

With Principles of Adaptive Optics there is no need to wade through 25 years of journals with more than 1500 articles published on adaptive optics to find what you're looking for. This one volume has a logical progression from the sources of aberrations that generate a need for adaptive optics, through systems analysis and system design, to descriptions of the major subsystems:wavefront sensors, deformable mirrors and other correcting optics, wavefront reconstructors, and real-time controls.

Adaptive optics has progressed from the laboratory and field experiments into surveillance systems, optical testing, medical research, and astronomical observatories around the world. A student, engineer, or scientist needs a single volume that describes all the basic principles, analytical tools, and instrumentation hardware that becomes an adaptive optics system. With hundreds of references, this book provides a road map to the design and performance analysis of adaptive optics wavefront sensors, controls, correcting optics and their integral operation. From the interested person just trying to find the buzzwords of adaptive optics to the experienced engineer looking for the equations that describe atmospheric compensation, Principles of Adaptive Optics will meet that goal.

The Second Edition of Principles of Adaptive Optics updates the technology principles with recently declassified military information in a new section on laser guide stars: how they work, how they are made and what is required to achieve optimum performance.

Because the bulk of fielded adaptive optics systems are used for atmospheric turbulence compensation, Principles of Adaptive Optics now contains all the governing equations regarding wavefront error, imaging, system resolution, beam tilt or wander, scintillation, temporal spectra, anisoplanatism, and guide position.