Megapixel adaptive optics: Towards correcting large-scale distortions in computational cameras

Abstract

Adaptive optics has become a valuable tool for correcting minor optical aberrations in applications such as astronomy and microscopy. However, due to the limited resolution of both the wavefront sensing and the wavefront correction hardware, it has so far not been feasible to use adaptive optics for correcting large-scale waveform deformations that occur naturally in regular photography and other imaging applications. In this work, we demonstrate an adaptive optics system for regular cameras. We achieve a significant improvement in focus for large wavefront distortions by improving upon a recently developed high resolution coded wavefront sensor, and combining it with a spatial phase modulator to create a megapixel adaptive optics system with unprecedented capability to sense and correct large distortions.