Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations

Adaptive optics (AO) has significantly advanced high-resolution solar observations by mitigating atmospheric turbulence. However, traditional post-focal AO systems suffer from external configurations that introduce excessive optical surfaces, reduced light throughput, and instrumental polarization....

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Main Authors: Naiting Gu, Hao Chen, Ao Tang, Xinlong Fan, Carlos Quintero Noda, Yawei Xiao, Libo Zhong, Xiaosong Wu, Zhenyu Zhang, Yanrong Yang, Zao Yi, Xiaohu Wu, Linhai Huang, Changhui Rao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institue of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 2025-05-01
Series:Opto-Electronic Advances
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Online Access:https://www.oejournal.org/article/doi/10.29026/oea.2025.250025
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author Naiting Gu
Hao Chen
Ao Tang
Xinlong Fan
Carlos Quintero Noda
Yawei Xiao
Libo Zhong
Xiaosong Wu
Zhenyu Zhang
Yanrong Yang
Zao Yi
Xiaohu Wu
Linhai Huang
Changhui Rao
author_facet Naiting Gu
Hao Chen
Ao Tang
Xinlong Fan
Carlos Quintero Noda
Yawei Xiao
Libo Zhong
Xiaosong Wu
Zhenyu Zhang
Yanrong Yang
Zao Yi
Xiaohu Wu
Linhai Huang
Changhui Rao
author_sort Naiting Gu
collection DOAJ
description Adaptive optics (AO) has significantly advanced high-resolution solar observations by mitigating atmospheric turbulence. However, traditional post-focal AO systems suffer from external configurations that introduce excessive optical surfaces, reduced light throughput, and instrumental polarization. To address these limitations, we propose an embedded solar adaptive optics telescope (ESAOT) that intrinsically incorporates the solar AO (SAO) subsystem within the telescope's optical train, featuring a co-designed correction chain with a single Hartmann-Shack full-wavefront sensor (HS f-WFS) and a deformable secondary mirror (DSM). The HS f-WFS uses temporal-spatial hybrid sampling technique to simultaneously resolve tip-tilt and high-order aberrations, while the DSM performs real-time compensation through adaptive modal optimization. This unified architecture achieves symmetrical polarization suppression and high system throughput by minimizing optical surfaces. A 600 mm ESAOT prototype incorporating a 12×12 micro-lens array HS f-WFS and 61-actuator piezoelectric DSM has been developed and successfully conducted on-sky photospheric observations. Validations including turbulence simulations, optical bench testing, and practical observations at the Lijiang observatory collectively confirm the system's capability to maintain about λ/10 wavefront error during active region tracking. This architectural breakthrough of the ESAOT addresses long-standing SAO integration challenges in solar astronomy and provides scalability analyses confirming direct applicability to the existing and future large solar observation facilities.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher Institue of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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spelling doaj-art-7e6cad068965445fbc0382cfd1fde2bb2025-08-20T03:33:35ZengInstitue of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of SciencesOpto-Electronic Advances2096-45792025-05-018511510.29026/oea.2025.250025OEA-2025-0025GunaitingEmbedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observationsNaiting Gu0Hao Chen1Ao Tang2Xinlong Fan3Carlos Quintero Noda4Yawei Xiao5Libo Zhong6Xiaosong Wu7Zhenyu Zhang8Yanrong Yang9Zao Yi10Xiaohu Wu11Linhai Huang12Changhui Rao13College of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaDepartanmento de Astrofísica, Univ. De La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife E-38025, SpainNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaInstitute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, ChinaChengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, ChinaJoint Laboratory for Extreme Conditions Matter Properties, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, ChinaThermal Science Research Center, Shandong Institute of Advanced Technology, Jinan 250100, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaNational Laboratory on Adaptive Optics, Chengdu 610209, ChinaAdaptive optics (AO) has significantly advanced high-resolution solar observations by mitigating atmospheric turbulence. However, traditional post-focal AO systems suffer from external configurations that introduce excessive optical surfaces, reduced light throughput, and instrumental polarization. To address these limitations, we propose an embedded solar adaptive optics telescope (ESAOT) that intrinsically incorporates the solar AO (SAO) subsystem within the telescope's optical train, featuring a co-designed correction chain with a single Hartmann-Shack full-wavefront sensor (HS f-WFS) and a deformable secondary mirror (DSM). The HS f-WFS uses temporal-spatial hybrid sampling technique to simultaneously resolve tip-tilt and high-order aberrations, while the DSM performs real-time compensation through adaptive modal optimization. This unified architecture achieves symmetrical polarization suppression and high system throughput by minimizing optical surfaces. A 600 mm ESAOT prototype incorporating a 12×12 micro-lens array HS f-WFS and 61-actuator piezoelectric DSM has been developed and successfully conducted on-sky photospheric observations. Validations including turbulence simulations, optical bench testing, and practical observations at the Lijiang observatory collectively confirm the system's capability to maintain about λ/10 wavefront error during active region tracking. This architectural breakthrough of the ESAOT addresses long-standing SAO integration challenges in solar astronomy and provides scalability analyses confirming direct applicability to the existing and future large solar observation facilities.https://www.oejournal.org/article/doi/10.29026/oea.2025.250025embedded solar adaptive optics telescope (esaot)hartmann-shack full-wavefront sensor (hs f-wfs)deformable secondary mirror (dsm)high-resolution solar observationssolar telescopes
spellingShingle Naiting Gu
Hao Chen
Ao Tang
Xinlong Fan
Carlos Quintero Noda
Yawei Xiao
Libo Zhong
Xiaosong Wu
Zhenyu Zhang
Yanrong Yang
Zao Yi
Xiaohu Wu
Linhai Huang
Changhui Rao
Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
Opto-Electronic Advances
embedded solar adaptive optics telescope (esaot)
hartmann-shack full-wavefront sensor (hs f-wfs)
deformable secondary mirror (dsm)
high-resolution solar observations
solar telescopes
title Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
title_full Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
title_fullStr Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
title_full_unstemmed Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
title_short Embedded solar adaptive optics telescope: achieving compact integration for high-efficiency solar observations
title_sort embedded solar adaptive optics telescope achieving compact integration for high efficiency solar observations
topic embedded solar adaptive optics telescope (esaot)
hartmann-shack full-wavefront sensor (hs f-wfs)
deformable secondary mirror (dsm)
high-resolution solar observations
solar telescopes
url https://www.oejournal.org/article/doi/10.29026/oea.2025.250025
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