title: Task Performance in Astronomical Adaptive Optics.
abstract: In objective or task-based assessment of image quality, figures of merit are defined by the performance of some specific observer on some task of scientific interest. This methodology is well established in medical imaging but is just beginning to be applied in astronomy. In this paper we survey the theory needed to understand the performance of ideal or ideal-linear (Hotelling) observers on detection tasks with adaptive-optical data. The theory is illustrated by discussing its application to detection of exoplanets from a sequence of short-exposure images.
authors.affiliation: College of Optical Sciences and Department of Radiology, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85724.
authors.forename: Harrison H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.forename: Kyle J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Devaney
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dainty
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caucci