Photonic lantern tip/tilt detector for adaptive optics systems

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Adaptive Optics
• Fiber Sensing

Background:

• Wavefront sensing is crucial for adaptive optics systems.
• Existing methods can be complex and costly.
• Photonic lanterns offer a compact and potentially cost-effective solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a four-core multicore fiber photonic lantern as a tip/tilt wavefront sensor.
• To investigate its capability in encoding beam characteristics into intensity distributions for aberration diagnosis.
• To analyze and experimentally validate its performance for adaptive optics.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a four-core multicore fiber photonic lantern to capture incoming beam properties.
• Developing numerical analysis for device performance prediction.
• Implementing two receiver architectures: 2D detector imaging and direct power measurement.
• Experimentally validating the sensor concept at 1064 nm.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated a four-core fiber photonic lantern tip/tilt wavefront sensor.
• Achieved an angular detection window of approximately 0.4 degrees for both receiver architectures.
• Validated the encoding of beam characteristics to intensity distributions for aberration diagnosis.
• Numerical analysis accurately predicted device performance.

Conclusions:

• The developed photonic lantern wavefront sensor is effective for diagnosing low-order Zernike aberrations.
• The sensor shows promise for integration into adaptive optics systems.
• Intensity-based fiber wavefront sensing is a viable approach for future optical system development.