Active wavefront sensing and wavefront control with SLMs

Active systems are becoming more and more prevalent in the the field of optical technology. These systems require not only means of controlling wavefronts but mostly also of sensing wavefronts. This paper shows in four examples how spatial light modulators can be utilized to perform active wavefront sensing and wavefront controlling tasks. The examples include an interferometer with a flexible reference, a method to determine and compensate wave aberrations in focusing optical systems, an adaptive Shack-Hartmann sensor with a microlens array generated by a liquid crystal display and wavefront error compensation strategies with a piston micro mirror array.