1. Characterization of the phase-shifting Zernike wavefront sensor for telescope applications
- Author
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Eugene Serabyn, J. Kent Wallace, and Rebecca Jensen-Clem
- Subjects
Wavefront ,Physics ,Reflecting telescope ,business.industry ,Zernike polynomials ,Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Active optics ,Astrophysics::Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics ,Wavefront sensor ,Deformable mirror ,law.invention ,Telescope ,symbols.namesake ,Optics ,law ,symbols ,Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics ,Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics ,Adaptive optics ,business ,Astrophysics::Galaxy Astrophysics ,Remote sensing - Abstract
The dynamic Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) is a common-path phase-shifting interferometric wavefront sensor with some attractive properties including superior sensing of low spatial frequencies and noise rejection. The ZWFS will be integrated as an auxiliary wavefront sensor for the Mount Palomar adaptive optics system on the 200โ Hale Telescope. It is also being considered as the sensor for phasing the segmented mirrors of the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT), a 25-meter diameter submillimeter telescope. Here we extend our analysis of the sensor to include its sensitivity to random noise as compared with the more traditional Shack-Hartman sensor. We also explore the accuracy of the sensor to Fourier and Zernike wavefront modes. We describe this analysis, the application to Palomar and CCAT, and the sensor's relevance to future segmented space telescopes.
- Published
- 2012