Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensing without a lenslet array using a digital micromirror device

Appl Opt. 2018 Aug 1;57(22):E199-E204. doi: 10.1364/AO.57.00E199.

Abstract

The common Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor makes use of a lenslet array to sample in-parallel optical wavefronts. Here, we introduce a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor that employs a digital micromirror device in combination with a single lens for serial sampling by scanning. Sensing is analyzed numerically and validated experimentally using a deformable mirror operated in closed-loop adaptive optics with a conventional Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor, as well as with a set of ophthalmic trial lenses, to generate controllable amounts of monochromatic aberrations. The new sensor is free of crosstalk and can potentially operate at kilohertz speed. It offers a reconfigurable aperture that can exclude unwanted parts of the wavefront.