ABSTRACT
Wavefront reconstruction is at the heart of any adaptive optics system, as it allows representation of optical aberrations in a form that can be ingested by the controller. Stochastic estimation is a key aspect because the aberrations are fundamentally driven by a random process (turbulent atmosphere), and the measurements are further corrupted by noise. The reconstructor can be thought of as the estimator for an adaptive optics system. This chapter presents methods for wavefront reconstruction and control, starting with a detailed treatment of inverse problems that includes regularization, modal filtering, and estimation, using both matrix based and iterative methods. A review of modal feedback, predictive control strategies, woofer-tweeter offloads, and dynamical models is given next. The chapter then closes with a discussion of the practical implementation of wavefront control systems and their specific challenges.
