Beacon Modulation Tomography for Compensation in Deep Turbulence Phase 2

The applicability of adaptive optical systems remains limited today by the inability to solve the problem of compensation for the effects of turbulence in the deep turbulence regimes with an extended, non-cooperative target. Beacon anisoplanatism and scintillation combine to severely limit the performance of Adaptive Optical (AO) systems due to phenomena such as atmospheric guiding. Nutronics’ Phase I effort defined a potential solution path leveraging the fact that compensation of the complex field is more isoplanatic than simply compensation of the phase function. Nutronics proposes a Phase II effort to deliver a breadboard Field Conjugation System, and evaluate key risk areas associated with both military and commercial applications. Nutronics has developed an innovative approach for the Field Conjugation System, including use of a highly sensitive wavefront sensor, and integration of the breadboard Field Conjugation System system from compact and modular stand-alone, nearly-identical Adaptive Optical systems. The proposed Real Time Controller will have “military class” capability with low latency FPGA based processing housed in a standard desktop PC, enhancing commercial appeal for future use in both military and civilian applications. BENEFIT: The proposed effort has numerous potential benefits and commercial applications, including (but not limited to): Adaptive Optics for Imaging, Adaptive Optics for Directed Energy and Beam Projection, Adaptive Optics for laser radar and laser vibrometry, Adaptive Optics for beam cleanup and general laboratory use.