Simulator of an adaptive optics system using matlab

Abstract

This article describes a program developed in Matlab that simulates an Adaptive Optics system, which allows observing a graphically simulated wavefront to understand the main concepts of an Adaptive Optics system and the constraints that have to be presented in classical control algorithms. The program is based on: (a) Simulation of a wavefront Shack-Hartmann sensor as a detection system and the wavefront reconstruction using Zemike polynomials from the slopes of the wavefront and (b) Simulation of a deformable mirror as the wavefront correction. This was characterized using the so called influence functions and Zemike polynomials. The voltage vector needed for the deformation that adopts the correction mirror wavefront was also calculated. Our results were corroborated graphically by the reconstruction of the wavefront and the deformation of the deformable mirror.