PHASE-RETRIEVAL PROBLEM AND ORTHOGONAL EXPANSIONS - CURVATURE SENSING

An analytical solution of the curvature-sensing equation is proposed. The approach developed is based on the construction of a set of specia l polynomials that allows a solution in terms of Zernike polynomials b y direct integration. The calculation results show that it is possible to retrieve the Zernike coefficients of wave-front distortion indepen dently of each other by use of a few points of integration. Because th e method developed requires a small number of operations, it allows th e wave-front distortion of interest to be obtained in real time, which is important for adaptive-optics applications. (C) 1995 Optical Socie ty of America