Large viewing field wavefront sensing by using a lightfield system

To overcome the shortcomings of Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, we developed a lightfield wavefront detection system, which is able to complete the large field of view, multi-perspective wavefront detection in a single photographic exposure. The lightfield wavefront detection system includes an imaging primary mirror, a lenslet array and a photosensitive device. The lenslet array is located on the imaging plane of the imaging primary mirror and the photosensitive device is located on the focal plane of the lenslet array. In this system, each lenslet reimages the aperture and forms a low-resolution image of the aperture. Compared with the Shack-Hartmann sensor, this lightfield measuring method can obtain imaging arrays in different perspectives. By comparing the array information with the standard information, we can obtain the slope matrix of the wavefront in different perspectives and restore the wavefront in a large field of view. Based on Fourier optics, we built the corresponding theoretical model and simulation system. By busing Meade telescope, turbulent phase screen, lenslet array and CCD camera, we founded the experimental lightfield wavefront measuring system. Numerical simulation results and experimental results show that this wavefront measuring method can effectively achieve the wavefront aberration information. This wavefront measurement method can realize the multi-perspective wavefront measurement, which is expected to solve the problem of large viewing field wavefront detection, and can be used for adaptive optics in giant telescopes.