Short-Wave Infrared Adaptive Optics And Applications

By Raf Vandersmissen, Xenics

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technique used to measure wavefront errors or distortions in imaging, and to correct resulting images in real time. This article introduces adaptive optics and focuses on the benefits of using (short-wave) infrared cameras in wavefront sensing for key applications, including astronomy, laser communication, biological imaging microcopy, and retinal imaging in combination with optical coherence tomography. It also covers the fundamental performance characteristics of SWIR cameras used in adaptive optics applications.