title: Adaptive optics with advanced phase-contrast techniques. II. High-resolution wave-front control.
abstract: A wave-front control paradigm based on gradient-flow optimization is analyzed. In adaptive systems with gradient-flow dynamics, the output of the wave-front sensor is used to directly control high-resolution wavefront correctors without the need for wave-front phase reconstruction (direct-control systems). Here, adaptive direct-control systems with advanced phase-contrast wave-front sensors are analyzed theoretically, through numerical simulations, and experimentally. Adaptive system performance is studied for atmospheric-turbulence-induced phase distortions in the presence of input field intensity scintillations. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach for high-resolution adaptive optics.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA.
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Justh
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Vorontsov
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Carhart
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Beresnev
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Krishnaprasad