SBIR Phase I: Fast, High-Precision Model-Based Deformable Mirror Calibration and Control in Adaptive Optics

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project provides a significant advancement of the state of the art in fast, high-precision calibration and control of deformable mirrors for adaptive optics (AO)applications. This is accomplished by the development of a detailed nonlinear model of deformable mirror performance and fast solvers for the differential equations that describe the situation. Inverse techniques are utilized in the calibration process and fast solvers are used in the control. This approach provides enhanced performance over conventional approaches which assume that the deformable mirror is linear and only approximately solves the differential equations involved in two important ways. The first is that convergence in closed loop operation will be accelerated and the second is that accurate open loop control is available. The two major results of the proposed effort, accurate calibration and high-precision control of deformable mirrors, will be demonstrated by using the appropriate level of analysis and simulation. The team will concentrate in applying these advances to extra solar planet detection. The commercial impact of this work will be significant as it will facilitate the application of AO technology to areas that are unavailable today such as laser communications, biomedical imaging, consumer electronics, surveillance, and solar energy. Although the purpose of the proposed work is to bring this capability to market the scientific merits of this work are significant in their own right. Since this effort develops fast solvers to differential equations and solving an inverse problem that leads to the practical calibration and control of hardware there is little doubt these techniques have scientific merit and will be useful in these areas. This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).