LASER-RADIATION SOURCES FOR AN INTERFEROMETRIC WAVE-FRONT SENSOR OF AN ADAPTIVE TELESCOPE

This paper describes the requirements imposed on laser radiation sourc es when they are used in the interferometers of the wavefront sensors of adaptive telescopes. The current status of laser technology is anal yzed. A basis is provided for choosing a Nd:YAG chip laser with a mono block ring cavity as the preferred internal standard source for an exo atmospheric adaptive telescope with a holographic structure on the mai n mirror surface. (C) 1995 Optical Society of America.