Adaptive Optics
Profile
Research activities in the Adaptive Optics Group at Fraunhofer IOSB revolve around imaging through turbulence (especially along horizontal paths and strong turbulence) and free-space laser communications. We are developing simulations, theoretical models, image processing software and adaptive optics systems. Light propagation along horizontal paths has unique challenges, quite different from astronomical adaptive optics, and therefore we promote unconventional approaches to the problem.
Read about the latest developments in our group, take a moment to peruse our publications, inform yourself about our laboratory equipment and the services we provide. Biographical information about the employees of the group is also provided. We welcome collaborations with the industry.
News
2018
June
Article/interview about adaptive optics in Photonics Spectra
Dr. Italo Toselli will be invited speaker at the “Environmental Effects on Light Propagation and Adaptive Systems” conference, part of SPIE Remote Sensing symposium, 10-13 September 2018, Berlin, Germany
May
Opening ceremony of the new laser communications laboratory
January
Dr. Italo Toselli will be invited speaker at the "Propagation through and Characterization of Atmospheric and Oceanic Phenomena" conference, part of OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress, 25-28 June 2018, Orlando, Florida, USA
Dr. Szymon Gladysz will be invited speaker at the 18th International Conference on Laser Optics (ICLO 2018), 4-8 June 2018, St. Petersburg, Russia
2017
September
Dr. Szymon Gladysz is guest editor for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, Special Section on Optics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems
July
Dr. Szymon Gladysz receives Fraunhofer IOSB publication prize
Dr. Szymon Gladysz will serve as Program Chair at the "Propagation Through and Characterization of Atmospheric and Oceanic Phenomena" conference, part of OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress in June 2018
January
Dr. Szymon Gladysz will be invited speaker at the "Propagation through and Characterization of Atmospheric and Oceanic Phenomena" conference, part of OSA Imaging and Applied Optics Congress in June 2017
2016
December
Dr. Szymon Gladysz will be co-chairing the 2017 SPIE conference "Optics in Atmospheric Propagation and Adaptive Systems"
September
Andreas Zepp wins the 1st Prize in the "Are You the Photonic Brain?" competition from Qioptiq
March
Dr. Szymon Gladysz is named guest editor for Optical Engineering’s Special Section on Long-Range Imaging
February
Dr. Szymon Gladysz receives a visiting scientist grant from the US Air Force
2015
September
Lydia Yatcheva, M.Sc. student in the group, received the Best Student Paper Award at SPIE Remote Sensing 2015 for her paper "Ultimate turbulence experiment: simultaneous measurements of Cn2 near the ground using six devices and eight methods" (9641-4)
August
Dr. Szymon Gladysz is invited speaker at the "Laser Communication and Propagation through the Atmosphere and Oceans" conference, part of SPIE Optics + Photonics 2015
July
The AO group wins funding (275,000 €) for the construction of a laser communications laboratory from Fraunhofer central funds
June
Dr. Szymon Gladysz receives a visiting scientist grant from US Navy
Dr. Esdras Anzuola (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) wins the ERCIM Scholarship to carry out independent research in the AO group at Fraunhofer IOSB
2014
July
Dr. Szymon Gladysz receives Fraunhofer IOSB publication prize (2nd place)
June
The AO group organizes the "Advanced Threat Warning, Tracking and Laser Countermeasures in Atmospheric Turbulence" workshop in Ettlingen
2013
September
Dr. Italo Toselli (currently at the University of Miami) wins the ERCIM Scholarship to carry out independent research in the AO group at Fraunhofer IOSB
Services
We offer the following services to our industrial and governmental clients:
- Measuring the influence of atmospheric turbulence on electro-optical devices to be deployed in realistic conditions outside the laboratory
- Carrying-out field trials and instrument validation experiments
- Cross-validation of proposed and existing measurement systems
- Monte-Carlo and analytic calculations of laser propagation through the atmosphere
- Simulation of the performance of imaging systems for long-range observations
- Optical metrology
- Design of optical systems
- Simulation of adaptive-optical systems for lasers and for astronomy
- Simulation of laser systems to be deployed underwater
- Design and fabrication of holograms
- Design and fabrication of micro-optics
Equipment
Our adaptive optics laboratory is equipped with state-of-the art devices for simulating, measuring and compensation of atmospheric turbulence. The following table gives an overview of the most important equipment we possess.
|
Device |
Company |
Main Characteristics |
|
Deformable mirror “Multi DM” |
Boston Micromachines |
12x12 actuators, 4.6 kHz frame rate, 3.5 µm, Gold Coating |
|
Deformable mirror “Mini DM” |
Boston Micromachines |
32 actuators, 20 kHz frame rate, 1.5 µm, Gold coating |
|
Deformable mirror “DM-52” |
Alpao |
52 actuators, 800 Hz frame rate, 3 µm inter-actuator stroke |
|
Arbitrary Waveform Generator |
Tektronix |
2−channel, 25 Gsamples per second, 2G samples record |
|
Digital Oscilloscope |
Tektronix |
4 analog channels, 23 GHz Bandwidth |
|
90-degree Optical Hybrid |
Kylia |
Two polarizations, 1520-1570 nm operating wavelength |
|
IQ Optical Modulator |
Thorlabs |
Dual Mach-Zehnder interferometer, 35 GHz Bandwidth, 1525 - 1605 nm operating wavelength |
|
High-frequency RF amplifier |
Thorlabs |
10 GHz bandwidth, 34 dB gain, max. output voltage 10 V. |
|
Mode spatial multiplexer / demultiplexer |
CAILabs |
6 Laguerre-Gauss modes modes, 1550 nm operating wavelength, output in free space. |
|
Fiber Laser |
NKT Photonics |
1550.12 nm wavelength, 100 mW |
|
HeNe-Laser |
several |
Several from 5 mW to 35 mW, TEM00 |
|
4 Diodelaser with beam combiner (fiber-coupled) |
Schäfter & Kirchhoff |
4 combined laser with 405 nm, 488 nm, 520 nm and 660 nm, fiber-coupled |
|
2x Balanced Photodetector |
Finisar |
43 GHz Bandwidth, FC/PC connector, 0.5 A/W responsivity |
|
Silicon photo multiplier array |
SensL |
VIS, array of 8x8, pixel size 6mmx6mm |
|
IR Camera |
Edmund Optics |
1500-1600 nm, 320 x 256 resolution, 30 x 30 µm2 Pixels, USB |
|
Phosphor coated IR Camera |
Ophir photonics |
964x724 pixels, USB 2.0 |
|
CMOS detector “Osprey Scientific” |
Raptor Photonics |
VIS, 2048x2048 pixels, Camera link, 37.5 to 1000 fps |
|
CCD detector “Fastcam” |
Photron |
VIS, 512x480 pixels, frame grabber, up to 10.000 fps |
|
Shack-Hartmann sensor |
Optocraft |
1248x1080 pixels, exchangeable lenslet-arrays |
|
Shack-Hartmann sensor “WFS20-7” |
Thorlabs |
1440x1080 Pixels, 150 µm Pitch, 69-880 fps |
|
Shack-Hartmann sensor |
Metrolux |
1380x1040 pixels, 200 µm Pitch, 15 fps |
|
2 x Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator |
Hamamatsu |
1000-1550nm spectral range, 1280x1020 pixels, 60 Hz frame rate, DVI input signal |
|
Liquid Crystal Spatial Light Modulator “Pluto” |
Holoeye |
VIS, 1920x1080 pixels, 60 Hz frame rate, DVI input signal |
|
Turbulence simulator |
Lexitek |
2x motorized phase plates with 4096 x 4096 OPD array |
|
Tip/Tilt mirror |
NanoFaktur |
2 axis, 4 mrad max. deplexion, 1.5 kHz bandwith, 0.2 µrad resolution. |
|
Active beam stabilization |
MRC Systems |
2 Tilt mirrors, 2 4QD sensors |
|
Real-time embedded processor |
National Instruments |
Artix-7-FPGA, Dual-Core-Controller with 4 Slots |
|
Interferometer “µPhase 2 HR” |
Fisba Optik |
1000x1000 image points |
|
Telescope “CGEM DX 925 HD“ |
Celestron |
Aperture 235 mm, focal length 2032 mm |
|
Telescope “CPC 800 XLT“ |
Celestron |
Aperture 2350 mm, focal length 2032 mm |
|
Ultrasonic Anemometer „HS50“ |
Gill Instruments |
measurement frequency 50 Hz, asymmetric, 3-axis, 0-45 m/s wind speed, U,v,w vector output, minimal flow disturbance, speed of sound measurements |
|
Surface-layer Laser- Scintillometer „SLS40” |
SCINTEC AG |
670 nm wave length, Cn², CT², inner scale, heat flux, time resolution 1 min, range 50-250 m |
|
Boundary Layer Scintillometer BLS2000 |
SCINTEC AG |
Large aperture scintillometer, 880 nm, dual disk, range 500 m- 12km, 1756 VIS LEDs, 68 IR LEDs, crosswind, Ethernet |
People
Current members
- Dr. Szymon Gladysz (head of the group)
- Andreas Zepp, M.Sc.
- Julia Hofmann, B.Sc.
- Max Segel, M.Sc.
- Dr. Italo Toselli
- Samuel Bassaly
- Juan Acosta
- José Pablo Montoya Vélez
- Daniel Lechner
Past members
- Francisco Molina-Martel, M.Sc.
- Dr. Esdras Anzuola (visiting researcher)
- Dr. Roberto Baena Gallé
- Rui Barros, M.Sc.
- Sarah Keary, M.Sc.
- Pablo Marin, M.Sc.
- Lydia Yatcheva, M.Sc.
- Fernando Negredo, M.Sc.
- Ms. Öncü Benli
- Ms. Stephanie Wollgarten
- Mr. Carlos Rios
- Claudia Hübner, Dipl.-Math., M.Sc.
- Dr. Gabriele Marchi
- Corinne Scheifling, Dipl.-Ing.