We demonstrate the performance of an optical differentiation wavefront sensor (ODWS) relying on an optical system that images the pupil to a camera. A binary pixelated transmission filter with a linear amplitude-transmission gradient is located in a far field of the pupil. The ODWS uses the fluence data measured in the detection plane for two orthogonal orientations of the filter to determine wavefront-slope data along the two corresponding directions in the pupil plane. This technique allows for acquisition in real-time without moving parts, providing high resolution, high dynamic range, and achromatic wavefront sensing for astronomical imaging or metrology applications.

Date Published: 27 July 2016
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9909, Adaptive Optics Systems V, 99096R (27 July 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2232813

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9909:
Adaptive Optics Systems V
Enrico Marchetti; Laird M. Close; Jean-Pierre Véran, Editor(s)