Abstract:
Spatial resolution of the ground-based optical
telescopes is limited by the Earth’s atmospheric turbulence
rather than the size of the telescope aperture. To restore the
performance of a telescope to near diffraction limit,
adaptive optics (AO) system should be designed and
developed based on the turbulence characteristics at the
telescope site. Crucial part in developing the AO system is,
simulating the turbulence conditions of the atmosphere,
estimation of its effect on wavefront and correction of the
distorted wavefront in the laboratory. The essential components
of laboratory AO system are phase plate and
deformable mirrors (DMs). Phase plate simulates the turbulent
conditions, and DM corrects the distorted wavefront.
Performance of AO system depends on the characterization
of these two devices. Fizeau interferometer and Shack–
Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS) are used for the performance
evaluation. Current work provides a detailed
discussion about the tests carried out to characterize these
two components and the results obtained.
