Wavefront Aberration Correction Using Zernike Polynomial Parameterizations of Optical Phased Arrays (PREPRINT)

摘要

High performance laser communication systems require adaptive optics based wavefront correction systems to correct aberrations that result from imperfections in optical hardware and atmospheric conditions. Traditionally, deformable membrane mirrors are used for wavefront correction. These mirrors are bulky and require excessive amounts of power, both of which can be detrimental to a space application. Liquid crystal based optical phased arrays (OPAs) offer an attractive alternative to these traditional devices. This paper presents a method of correcting wavefront aberrations with an OPA device by utilizing phase reconstruction of point-source images and Zernike polynomial parameterizations of the OPA. Limitations of common OPA architectures that reduce the effectiveness of the proposed wavefront correction method will be discussed. A simulation will demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.