Patent ID: 8350203

Claim:
In an adaptive optics system comprising a deformable mirror (DM), a wavefront sensor (WFS), a computer programmed with real-time system control and post processing algorithms including DM Control Software, and an optics section including a beamsplitter positioned between the DM and the WFS reference mirror for splitting a light beam into an input light optical path and a reference beam optical path, a reference mirror positioned in the reference beam optical path and wherein the DM and the WFS are in the input light optical path, a method of flattening the DM to correct for a distortion comprising: inputting an incident light beam into the reference beam optical path as a reference beam while blocking a DM response by blocking the input light optical path between the DM and the WFS; recording a flat wavefront (Φn, R) as a reference wavefront from the reference mirror; blocking the reference beam and unblocking the input light optical path between the DM and the WFS to obtain a DM response; on the computer activating a close-loop mode of the DM Control Software and computing iterations until a difference between the reference wavefront and the DM response is minimized; recording the wavefront created by the DM (Φn, DM) and the corresponding voltage vector (Vn) applied to the DM; and applying the voltage vector to the DM to thereby flatten the DM and correct for the distortion.