Ultra High Speed Aero Optics Compensation

Over the last several years the Kestrel Corporation has been investigating the use of a phase diversity distorted grating wavefront sensor (DGWFS). This earlier research revealed several unexpected aspects of the technology as a technique that has the potential of generating extremely wide bandwidth error signals to control an adaptive optics compensation system while maintaining wide dynamic range, high sensitivity, and very high spatial sampling of the wavefront. These attributes make possible the introduction of adaptive optics compensation of aero optics aberrations. The new technology is based on the direct coupling of a DGWFS to control a deformable optical element. Using this approach avoids the requirement to reconstruct a wavefront to generate an error signal and makes possible extremely efficient non-iterative signal processing. The proposed Phase I SBIR will analytically determine the expected performance envelope for a direct control DGWFS system used to reduce aero optics aberrations. While the technology has direct application to airborne uses of directed energy weapons, there are also uses in improving airborne optical communications and adaptive optics compensation under battle field conditions. Uses in medical imaging have secured strong commercial interests.