VARIABLE SEPARATION IN CURVATURE SENSING - FAST METHOD FOR SOLVING THE IRRADIANCE TRANSPORT-EQUATION IN THE CONTEXT OF OPTICAL TELESCOPES

A method to evaluate wave-front aberrations in optical telescopes that is based on the method of curvature sensing but that solves the irrad iance transport equation by variable separation is presented. This tec hnique is simpler for processing than are previously released techniqu es and can perform more efficiently, as is required by active and adap tive optics. Testing for consistency of the method by evaluation of se veral sets of out-of-focus images obtained with the 2-m telescope at t he Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico was carried out, and a stab ility of 10% for the derived values of Zernike coefficients was found.