Efficient wavefront sensing for space-based adaptive optics

TL;DR

This paper introduces an optimized focal plane wavefront sensing method for space-based adaptive optics, significantly reducing the time needed to achieve high contrast imaging of faint astronomical objects.

Contribution

It proposes an efficient wavefront sensing approach that optimizes deformable mirror probing, improving speed and effectiveness for space telescopes.

Findings

Reduced integration time for high contrast imaging

Enhanced wavefront measurement efficiency

Demonstrated effectiveness with vortex coronagraph simulations

Abstract

Future large space telescopes will be equipped with adaptive optics (AO) to overcome wavefront aberrations and achieve high contrast for imaging faint astronomical objects, such as earth-like exoplanets and debris disks. In contrast to AO that is widely used in ground telescopes, space-based AO systems will use focal plane wavefront sensing to measure the wavefront aberrations. Focal plane wavefront sensing is a class of techniques that reconstruct the light field based on multiple focal plane images distorted by deformable mirror (DM) probing perturbations. In this paper, we report an efficient focal plane wavefront sensing approach for space-based AO which optimizes the DM probing perturbation and thus also the integration time for each image. Simulation of the AO system equipped with a vortex coronagraph has demonstrated that our new approach enables efficient information acquisition and significantly reduces the time needed for achieving high contrast in space.