Real-time optical aberration correction with a ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator.

Real-time correction of an optically aberrated wave front by use of a 10 x 10 ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator as the correction device and a point-diffraction interferometer as the wave-front sensor is demonstrated. This type of interferometer requires no reference arm and so can be used, in theory, in an astronomical adaptive-optics system. We discuss some of the unusual features of the point-diffraction interferometer for wave-front sensing.