CAOS Simulation Package 3.0: an IDL-based Tool for Adaptive Optics Systems Design and Simulations

The IDL-based simulation software Code for Adaptive Optics Systems (CAOS) was originally developed to simulate the behavior of generic adaptive optics systems. The modular structure of the software allows the simulation of a great variety of different systems and is particularly suited for the adoption of graphical techniques for the programming of applications. It is actually composed of a global user interface (the CAOS Application Builder – presented in Fini et al. 2001), and a set of specific modules: the CAOS Simulation Package. We present in this paper the last version (3.0) of the CAOS Simulation Package, together with an example of an application to the Large Binocular Telescope interferometer adaptive optics system.