[Laser] Big adaptive optics

[Terry Morris W5TDM]

Opps, second link was wrong one.

Try:http://www.sbig.com/products/ao-l.htm



>From: "Terry Morris W5TDM" <w5tdm at hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: Free Space LASER Communications <laser at mailman.qth.net>
>To: laser at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [Laser] Big adaptive optics
>Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 09:36:37 -0700
>
>
>
>
>>From: J Forster <jfor at quik.com>
>>Reply-To: Free Space LASER Communications <laser at mailman.qth.net>
>>To: Free Space LASER Communications <laser at mailman.qth.net>
>>Subject: Re: [Laser] Big adaptive optics
>>Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 11:23:21 -0400
>>
>>Terry Morris W5TDM wrote:
>>
>> > Astrovideo is not adaptive optics. It is just an image accumulator, 
>>just
>> > collects a lot of images and then throws away the bad ones, and adds 
>>the
>> > good ones. It does nothing to correct the wavefront in real time. For 
>>laser
>> > communications it would be of no use. Adaptive optics has some active
>> > optical element that moves to correct out of phase wavefronts. There 
>>are
>> > some adaptive optics avaliable for the amateur astronomer. Made by 
>>Santa
>> > Barbara Instrument group, called the AO-8 and AO-L. The AO-8 is set for 
>>a
>> > target price of under $600, but that doesn't include the CCD camera 
>>which is
>> > not cheap. The CCD camera has two CCD sensors, one big for imaging, and 
>>a
>> > small one for tracking. The adaptive optics use the small CCD detector 
>>to
>> > detect the wavefront and drive the feedback loop to correct the out of 
>>phase
>> > image.
>>
>>Do you know if the SBIG unit is just a tip-tilt tracker or does higher 
>>order
>>corrections? With a smallish aperture 'scope, say less than 24", tip-tilt 
>>and frame
>>selection might produce some very good imagery.
>>
>>-John
>
>
>Yes, it is just a tip-tilt optical element, so no moving reflective arrays, 
>so no high order corrections. The example images do seem to show much 
>improvement. Unsure how much this would help in laser communications, but 
>would seem to reduce beam wobble on the detector. If you know who SBIG is 
>you may have already seen this, but just in case here are links:
>
>http://www.sbig.com/sbwhtmls/ao8.htm
>
>http://www.sbig.com/sbwhtmls/online.htm
>
>The second link shows the internal working parts of the AO-L
>
>-Terry w5tdm
>
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