High-Performance Deformable Mirror Technology Test and Evaluation Platform

This work provides technology that significantly extends the requirements requested in the topic in that it provides a full AO system performance and testing methodology while still recognizing the importance of the DM in such a system. Advanced mathematical techniques and sophisticated DM experimental evaluation systems are developed with an eye as to how the measured DM characteristics impact the performance of an AO system. In this way the detailed mechanical response of the deformable mirror and the wavefront sensor optics are incorporated into the adaptive optics control methodology, its stability and system performance.