ADAPTIVE PHASE-DISTORTION CORRECTION BASED ON PARALLEL GRADIENT-DESCENT OPTIMIZATION

We describe an adaptive wave-front control technique based on a parall el stochastic perturbation method that can be applied to a general cla ss of adaptive-optical system. The efficiency of this approach is anal yzed numerically and experimentally by use of a white-light adaptive-i maging system with an extended source. To create and compensate for st atic phase distortions, we use 127-element liquid-crystal phase modula tors. Results demonstrate that adaptive wave-front correction by a par allel-perturbation technique can significantly improve image quality. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.