Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Analysis Of Non-Uniform Gain For Control Of A Deformable Mirror In An Adaptive-Optics System, Kevin P. Vitayaudom

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Sodium Guidestar Adaptive Optics for Space Situational Awareness program (NGAS) has sponsored research on spatially non-uniform gain for the servo-loop controller of an adaptive optics (AO) system. The edge subapertures of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor have lower signal-to-noise ratios and are more susceptible to measurement errors than fully illuminated center subapertures. These measurement errors produce errant commands over the corresponding edge actuators and can induce instabilities over these regions in strong turbulence conditions. The objective of this research was to develop and experimentally verify the use of spatially varying gain maps on the servo-loop controller …