Adaptive optics (AO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are powerful imaging modalities that, when combined, can provide high-resolution (3.5 mu m isotropic), 3-D images of the retina. The AO-OCT system at UC Davis has demonstrated the utility of this technology for microscopic, volumetric, in vivo retinal imaging. The current system uses an AOptix bimorph deformable mirror (DM) for low-order, high-stroke correction and a 140-actuator Boston Micromachines DM for high-order correction. Developments to improve performance or functionality of the instrument are on-going. Based on previous work in system characterization we have focused on improved AO control. We present preliminary results and remaining challenges for a newly implemented Fourier transform reconstructor (FTR). The previously reported error budget analysis is also reviewed and updated, with consideration of how to improve both the amount of residual error and the robustness of the system. Careful characterization of the AO system will lead to improved performance and inform the design of future systems.

Adaptive optics (AO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are powerful imaging modalities that, when combined, can provide high-volumetric-resolution, images of the retina. The AO-OCT system at UC Davis has been under development for 2 years and has demonstrated the utility of this technology for microscopic, volumetric, in vivo retinal imaging [1]. The current system uses an AOptix bimorph deformable mirror (DM) for low-order, high-stroke correction [2] and a 140-actuator Boston Micromachines DM for high-order correction [3]. We are beginning to investigate the potential for increasing the image contrast in this system using higher-order wavefront correction. The first step in this analysis is to quantify the residual wavefront error (WFE) in the current system. Developing an error budget is a common tool for improved performance and system design in astronomical AO systems [4, 5]. The process for vision science systems is also discussed in several texts e.g. [6], but results from this type of analysis have rarely been included in journal articles on AO for vision science. Careful characterization of the AO system will lead to improved performance and inform the design of a future high-contrast system. In general, an AO system error budget must include an analysis of three categoriesmore » of residual WFE: errors in measuring the phase, errors caused by limitations of the DM(s), and errors introduced by temporal variation. Understanding the mechanisms and relative size of these errors is critical to improving system performance. In this paper we discuss the techniques for characterizing these error sources in the AO-OCT system. It is useful to first calculate an error budget for the simpler case using a model eye, and then add the additional errors introduced for the case of a human subject. Measurement error includes calibration error, wavefront sensor (WFS) CCD noise, and sampling errors. Calibration errors must be measured by an external system. Typically this error is inferred from measurements of the point spread function (PSF). It can also be estimated by measuring known wavefront errors and comparing to the WFS measurement. Both methods will be used in the AO-OCT system. In this particular system measurement error introduced by the WFS can be caused by low light levels, poor camera sensitivity at the operating wavelength and noise introduced by heat in the uncooled CCD. Also, the gaussian beam profile of the system causes centroids near the edges of the pupil to be dimmer, and thus noisier. The easiest way to estimate measurement error is to compare successive wavefront measurements when the system is stable. This techniques will include vibrations and other systematic errors. Alternatively the measurement error can be estimated from measured signal to noise. This is more complicated but will decouple measurement errors from stability measurements. Ultimately, even if the phase is measured perfectly, performance will still be limited by the fitting error [7]. This error is inversely proportional to the number of actuators of the DM. Basically wavefront errors with spatial frequencies greater than half the number of actuators across the aperture cannot be corrected. For DMs with modal influence functions (like the AOptix Bimorph in the AO-OCT system), this translates to the number of modes which can be corrected. The AO-OCT system over-samples the wavefront, so to some extent, we can measure these out-of-band errors directly. In addition to fitting error, the DM will introduce errors based on the ability of each individual actuator to go to the position demanded by the control system. Generally this voltage step size is limited by the resolution of the drive electronics and can be calculated analytically.« less

The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is an "extreme" adaptive optics coronagraph system that will have the ability to directly detect and characterize young Jovian-mass exoplanets. The design of this instrument involves eight principal institutions geographically spread across North America, with four of those sites writing software that must run seamlessly together while maintaining autonomous behaviour. The objective of the software teams is to provide Gemini with a unified software system that not only performs well but also is easy to maintain. Issues such as autonomous behaviour in a unified environment, common memory to share status and information, examples of how this is being implemented, plans for early software integration and testing, command hierarchy, plans for common documentation and updates are explored in this paper. The project completed its preliminary design phase in 2007, and has just recently completed its critical design phase.

Adaptive optics (AO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) are powerful imaging modalities that, when combined, can provide high-resolution, 3-D images of the retina. The AO-OCT system at UC Davis has been under development for 2 years and has demonstrated the utility of this technology for microscopic, volumetric, in vivo retinal imaging. The current system uses a bimorph deformable mirror (DM) made by AOptix Technologies, Inc. for low-order, high-stroke correction and a 140-actuator mirco-electrical-mechanical-system (MEMS) DM made by Boston Micromachines Corporation for high-order correction. We present our on-going characterization of AO system performance. The AO-OCT system typically has residual wavefront error of 100 nm rms. The correctable error in the system is dominated by low-order error that we believe is introduced by aliasing in the control loop. Careful characterization of the AO system will lead to improved performance and inform the design of future systems.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a bimorph deformable mirror from AOptix, inserted into an adaptive optics system designed for in-vivo retinal imaging at high resolution. We wanted to determine its suitability as a wavefront corrector for vision science and ophthalmological instrumentation. We presented results obtained in a closed-loop system, and compared them with previous open-loop performance measurements. Our goal was to obtain precise wavefront reconstruction with rapid convergence of the control algorithm. The quality of the reconstruction was expressed in terms of root-mean-squared wavefront residual error (RMS), and number of frames required to perform compensation. Our instrument used a Hartmann-Shack sensor for the wavefront measurements. We also determined the precision and ability of the deformable mirror to compensate the most common types of aberrations present in the human eye (defocus, cylinder, astigmatism and coma), and the quality of its correction, in terms of maximum amplitude of the corrected wavefront. In addition to wavefront correction, we had also used the closed-loop system to generate an arbitrary aberration pattern by entering the desired Hartmann-Shack centroid locations as input to the AO controller. These centroid locations were computed in Matlab for a user-defined aberration pattern, allowing us to test the ability of the DM to generate and compensate for various aberrations. We conclude that this device, in combination with another DM based on Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology, may provide better compensation of the higher-order ocular wavefront aberrations of the human eye

Ground based adaptive optics is a potentially powerful technique for direct imaging detection of extrasolar planets. Turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere imposes some fundamental limits, but the large size of around-based telescopes compared to spacecraft can work to mitigate this. We are carrying out a design study for a dedicated ultra-high-contrast system, the eXtreme Adaptive Optics Planet Imager (XAOPI), which could be deployed on an 8-10m telescope in 2007. With a 4096-actuator MEMS deformable mirror it should achieve Strehl >0.9 in the near-IR. Using an innovative spatially filtered wavefront sensor, the system will be optimized to control scattered light over a large radius and suppress artifacts caused by static errors. We predict that it will achieve contrast levels of 10(7)-10(8) at angular separations of 0.2-0.8" around a large sample of stars (R<7-10), sufficient to detect Jupiter-like planets through their near-IR emission over a wide range of ages and masses. We are constructing, a high-contrast AO testbed to verify key concepts of our system, and present preliminary results here, showing an RMS wavefront error of <1.3 nm with a flat mirror.