Investigation of Numerical Simulation for Adaptive Optics System

Abstract

In this study, the performance of the adaptive optics (AO) system was analyzed through a numerical computer simulation implemented in MATLAB. Making a phase screen involved turning computer-generated random numbers into two-dimensional arrays of phase values on a sample point grid with matching statistics. Von Karman turbulence was created depending on the power spectral density. Several simulated point spread functions (PSFs) and modulation transfer functions (MTFs) for different values of the Fried coherent diameter (ro) were used to show how rough the atmosphere was. To evaluate the effectiveness of the optical system (telescope), the Strehl ratio (S) was computed. The compensation procedure for an AO system was implemented. Analytical analysis was used to define the wave front and aberrations of the circular aperture telescope. Zernike polynomials were used to describe the residual error and figure out how much the compensation changed the measured turbulence values. The results of the computer simulation involving atmospheric turbulence reveal that elevating the ro values (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32) cm resulted in a 3.4% rise in S. However, when the adaptive optics system operated with a constant ro (20 cm), augmenting the Zernike aberration modes led to a remarkable 44% increase in S, signifying a substantial enhancement in the compensation procedure.

Keywords

• Adaptive Optics
• Power Spectral Density
• Von Karman turbulence
• Zernike polynomials
• Atmospheric turbulence