Point-ahead-compensated illumination demonstration using BMDO/IST adaptive optics system

Michael J. LeFebvre; Grady L. Taylor; Edward Louis Cuellar; K. S. Kell; David G. Sandler

doi:10.1117/12.208208

26 April 1995 Point-ahead-compensated illumination demonstration using BMDO/IST adaptive optics system

Michael J. LeFebvre, Grady L. Taylor, Edward Louis Cuellar, K. S. Kell, David G. Sandler

Proceedings Volume 2376, Laser Power Beaming II; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.208208
Event: Photonics West '95, 1995, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Using a large adaptive optical system designed for the correction of a visible wavelength laser, we report the results for the first known compensated laser illumination demonstration of an uncooperative low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite using an active point ahead mirror. The results of these tests using a low-power laser beacon at D/r_o equals 25 show improvement of over a factor of 5 in peak energy at the diffraction limited resolution of 0.1 arc sec for stellar images. The amount of light reflected from a large, diffuse LEO satellite was improved by a factor of approximately 2 using the adaptive optical system.

Citation Download Citation

Michael J. LeFebvre, Grady L. Taylor, Edward Louis Cuellar, K. S. Kell, and David G. Sandler "Point-ahead-compensated illumination demonstration using BMDO/IST adaptive optics system", Proc. SPIE 2376, Laser Power Beaming II, (26 April 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.208208

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