Three-sided Pyramid Wavefront Sensor for High Sensitivity Wavefront Control

Fully develop the analytic theory of wavefront reconstruction from measurements made with a three-sided pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS3), including the effects of variable modulation, photon and camera noise sources, and object angular extent. Carry out performance predictions of the PWFS3 through numerical modeling. Compare the sensitivity of the PWFS3 to a conventional Shack-Hartmann sensor and a four-sided pyramid (PWFS4) with the same numbers of sensed degrees of freedom. Quantify performance in terms of total rms residual wavefront error as well as the spatial spectrum of the error, and the contrast ratio of the point-spread function as a function of field angle. Define the cost and scope of the Phase II program to build the PWFS3 and demonstrate its performance in laboratory tests with realistic dynamic atmospheric wavefront aberration.