Modeling and parameter estimation for point-actuated continuous-facesheet deformable mirrors.

Area of Science:

• Optical Engineering
• Computational Optics
• Adaptive Optics

Background:

• Deformable mirrors (DMs) are crucial components in adaptive optics systems.
• Accurate modeling of DM behavior is essential for precise wavefront control.
• Existing models may require refinement for continuous facesheet DMs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a refined computational model for point-actuated deformable mirrors with continuous facesheets.
• To develop and describe an efficient, regularized least-squares scheme for parameter estimation.
• To validate the model and computational scheme using experimental data.

Main Methods:

• A variant of the Vogel and Yang model was adapted for continuous facesheet DMs.
• A robust and efficient regularized output least-squares (OLS) computational scheme was implemented.
• The method was tested using discrete, noisy observational data of DM response to actuation.

Main Results:

• The computational scheme effectively estimates model parameters from noisy DM response data.
• The model and method were successfully demonstrated on two distinct DM types.
• Experimental validation confirmed the approach's effectiveness for both piezo- and electrostatically actuated DMs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed computational scheme provides a robust and efficient method for modeling deformable mirrors.
• This work advances the characterization and control of continuous facesheet DMs.
• The validated approach has implications for applications like the Thirty Meter Telescope Project.