Adaptive optics: different fields of application and experience at Laserdot

Laserdot has at first been involved in the adaptive optics field under French government military programs. It has allowed the achievement of very high-performance systems. Impressive results have been obtained in this specific field. In this paper we first remind the reader how an adaptive optics system runs and we review the main components used in such a system. Second, we briefly describe the Come-On-Plus experiment and relative components. As a description of the different strategies that can be explored for astronomical applications, we also present the Adaptive Optics Bonnette of the CFHT 3.6 m telescope. At last, we describe the peculiar adaptive mirror that has been achieved for the ESRF x-ray beam line as well as the sensor which is being used in this experiment. It shows that it is possible to extend the concept of adaptive optics to other domains than military or astronomical applications.