PHASE-ABERRATION CORRECTION WITH DUAL LIQUID-CRYSTAL SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATORS

A phase-aberration-correction system that uses high-resolution, twiste d nematic liquid-crystal spatial light modulators in a Mach-Zehnder in terferometer is presented. A correction algorithm is described and exp erimentally verified by use initially of one Liquid-crystal panel. Pha se aberrations are successfully removed by a single Liquid-crystal pan el, but unacceptably high amplitude variation is introduced into the w ave bent because of the phase-amplitude coupling of the spatial light modulator. A second panel is used to remove the amplitude modulation. The modified optical system with a multiplicative architecture is desc ribed, and results are presented that show the correction of phase abe rrations with an amplitude variation of less than 10%. (C) 1998 Optica l Society of America.