Publications

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Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors are known for their ability to correct optical aberrations, particularly when the wavefront is expanded via Zernike polynomials. This capability is combined with adaptive optical zoom to enable diffraction limited performance over broad spectral and zoom ranges. Adaptive optical zoom (AOZ) alters system magnification via variable focal length elements instead of axial translation found in traditional zoom designs. AOZ systems are simulated using an efficient approach to optical design, in which existing theories for telescope objective design and third-order aberration determination are modified to accommodate the additional degrees of freedom found with AOZ. An AOZ system with a 2.7x zoom ratio and 100mm entrance pupil diameter is presented to demonstrate the validity and capability of the theory. © 2012 SPIE.

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Adaptive or active elements can alter their shape to remove aberrations or shift focal points. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) material improves upon current active mirror materials, such as Zerodur, in several ways: low stiffness-to-weight ratio, very low hysteresis, and greater dynamic range of correction. In this paper, we present recent developments in CFRP mirror actuation, i.e., changing the mirror's shape in an accurate and repeatable fashion. Actuation methods are studied both theoretically, using finite element analysis, and experimentally, using interferometric testing. We present results using two annular rings to push against the mirror's back, producing a wavefront with less than 20 waves of total error. Applications for this work include active telescope secondaries, phase diversity, and adaptive zoom systems. © 2012 IEEE.

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Iris recognition utilizes distinct patterns found in the human iris to perform identification. Image acquisition is a critical first step towards successful operation of iris recognition systems. However, the quality of iris images required by standard iris recognition algorithms puts hard constraints on the imaging optical systems which have resulted in demonstrated systems to date requiring a relatively short subject stand-off distance. In this paper, we study long-range iris recognition at distances as large as 200 meters, and determine conditions the imaging system must satisfy for identification at longer stand-off distances. © 2009 SPIE.

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Micromirrors arrays can be used to correct residual wavefront aberrations in certain optical systems. The aberration correction capability of arrays of piston-only and piston-tip-tilt micromirrors are compared. Sandia's micromirror fabrication program is discussed and two example systems are presented. © 2006 SPIE-OSA.

In order to optically vary the magnification of an imaging system, continuous mechanical zoom lenses require multiple optical elements and use fine mechanical motion to precisely adjust the separations between individual or groups of lenses. By incorporating active elements into the optical design, we have designed and demonstrated imaging systems that are capable of variable optical magnification with no macroscopic moving parts. Changing the effective focal length and magnification of an imaging system can be accomplished by adeptly positioning two or more active optics in the optical design and appropriately adjusting the optical power of those elements. In this application, the active optics (e.g. liquid crystal spatial light modulators or deformable mirrors) serve as variable focal-length lenses. Unfortunately, the range over which currently available devices can operate (i.e. their dynamic range) is relatively small. Therefore, the key to this concept is to create large changes in the effective focal length of the system with very small changes in the focal lengths of individual elements by leveraging the optical power of conventional optical elements surrounding the active optics. By appropriately designing the optical system, these variable focal-length lenses can provide the flexibility necessary to change the overall system focal length, and therefore magnification, that is normally accomplished with mechanical motion in conventional zoom lenses.

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The combination of phase diversity and adaptive optics offers great flexibility. Phase diverse images can be used to diagnose aberrations and then provide feedback control to the optics to correct the aberrations. Alternatively, phase diversity can be used to partially compensate for aberrations during post-detection image processing. The adaptive optic can produce simple defocus or more complex types of phase diversity. This report presents an analysis, based on numerical simulations, of the efficiency of different modes of phase diversity with respect to compensating for specific aberrations during post-processing. It also comments on the efficiency of post-processing versus direct aberration correction. The construction of a bench top optical system that uses a membrane mirror as an active optic is described. The results of characterization tests performed on the bench top optical system are presented. The work described in this report was conducted to explore the use of adaptive optics and phase diversity imaging for responsive space applications.

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