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A method of performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, including the steps of directing an incoming light beam into a black fringe wavefront sensor via an adaptive optical device ("AOD"), dividing the incoming light beam into measurement and reference beams, altering the path length of

A method of performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, including the steps of directing an incoming light beam into a black fringe wavefront sensor via an adaptive optical device ("AOD"), dividing the incoming light beam into measurement and reference beams, altering the path length of the measurement beam and the location of the black fringe by modulating a ramp voltage of a modulator, combining the measurement and reference beams into a common output beam, detecting the black fringe in the common output beam using detectors mapped to the AOD, storing, as tagged ramp voltages, a corresponding ramp voltage for each detector when it detects black fringe, calculating phase errors based upon the tagged ramp voltages and modulator scaling, calculating adaptive optics correction voltages based upon the phase errors, transmitting and applying the correction voltages to the AOD to correct phase aberrations of the incoming light beam via phase conjugation.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A method of performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, comprising the steps of: directing an incoming light beam into a black fringe wavefront sensor via an adaptive optical device; dividing the incoming light beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam usi

What is claimed is: 1. A method of performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, comprising the steps of: directing an incoming light beam into a black fringe wavefront sensor via an adaptive optical device; dividing the incoming light beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam using at least one of a plurality of optical elements; altering the path length of the measurement beam and the location of black fringe by modulating a ramp voltage of a modulator affixed to at least one of the plurality of optical elements; combining the measurement beam and the reference beam into a common output beam using at least one of the plurality of optical elements; detecting black fringe in the common output beam using a plurality of detectors mapped to the adaptive optical device; storing, as tagged ramp voltages, a corresponding ramp voltage for each of the plurality of detectors upon detecting black fringe by each of the plurality of detectors; calculating phase errors based upon the tagged ramp voltages and modulator scaling; calculating a plurality of adaptive optics correction voltages based upon the phase errors; transmitting the adaptive optics correction voltages to the adaptive optical device; and applying the adaptive optics correction voltages to the adaptive optical device to correct phase aberrations of the incoming light beam via phase conjugation. 2. A system for performing closed loop correction of phase aberrations, comprising: an adaptive optical device; and a black fringe wavefront sensor, said black fringe wavefront sensor further comprising: a plurality of optical elements, said plurality of optical elements dividing an incoming light beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam, and combining the measurement beam and the reference beam into a common output beam, said plurality of optical elements comprising a test mirror, a modulator affixed to said test mirror, said modulator modulating based upon a ramp voltage, thereby altering optical path length of the measurement beam and location of black fringe, a plurality of detectors mapped to said adaptive optical device, for detecting black fringe in the common output beam, and a controller, said controller storing, as tagged ramp voltages, a corresponding ramp voltage for each of said plurality of detectors upon detecting black fringe by each of said plurality of detectors, calculating phase errors based upon the tagged ramp voltages and modulator scaling, calculating a plurality of adaptive optics correction voltages based upon the phase errors, and transmitting the adaptive optics correction voltages to said adaptive optical device, wherein the incoming light beam is directed into said black fringe wavefront sensor via the adaptive optical device, and wherein the adaptive optics correction voltages are applied to said adaptive optical device, correcting phase aberrations of the incoming light beam via phase conjugation. 3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said adaptive optical device is a deformable mirror. 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein said adaptive optical device is micro electro-mechanical system ("MEMS") mirror. 5. The system according to claim 2, wherein phase aberrations of the incoming light are corrected in real time. 6. The system according to claim 2, wherein said modulator is a lead-zirconate-titanate ("PZT") actuator. 7. The system according to claim 2, wherein said modulator is an acousto-optic modulator. 8. The system according to claim 2, wherein said modulator is an electro-optic modulator. 9. The system according to claim 2, wherein said modulator is a fiber-optic phase modulator. 10. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a reference mirror. 11. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a beam splitter. 12. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a collimation lens. 13. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a focusing lens. 14. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a compensator plate. 15. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Michelson interferometer. 16. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. 17. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Sagnac interferometer configured as a radial shear interferometer. 18. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of detectors comprises a charge-coupled device ("CCD"). 19. The system according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of detectors comprises a focal plane array ("FPA") pixel detector. 20. A black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus, comprising: a plurality of optical elements, said plurality of optical elements dividing an incoming light beam into a measurement beam and a reference beam, and combining the measurement beam and the reference beam into a common output beam, said plurality of optical elements comprising a test mirror; a modulator affixed to said test mirror, said modulator modulating based upon a ramp voltage, thereby altering optical path length of the measurement beam and location of black fringe; a plurality of detectors for detecting black fringe in the common output beam; and a controller, said controller storing, as tagged ramp voltages, a corresponding ramp voltage for each of said plurality of detectors upon detecting black fringe by each of said plurality of detectors, and calculating phase errors based upon the tagged ramp voltages and modulator scaling. 21. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said modulator is a lead-zirconate-titanate ("PZT") actuator. 22. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said modulator is an acousto-optic modulator. 23. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said modulator is an electro-optic modulator. 24. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said modulator is a fiber-optic phase modulator. 25. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a reference mirror. 26. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a beam splitter. 27. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a collimation lens. 28. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a focusing lens. 29. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements further comprises a compensator plate. 30. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Michelson interferometer. 31. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. 32. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of optical elements comprises a Sagnac interferometer configured as a radial shear interferometer. 33. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of detectors comprises a charge-coupled device ("CCD"). 34. The black fringe wavefront sensor apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said plurality of detectors comprises a focal plane array ("FPA") pixel detector.