USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Carlos Font

Freddie Santiago

G Charmaine Gilbreath

David Kim

Blerta Bajramaj

An apparatus includes an adaptive retro-reflector device. The adaptive retro-reflector device includes a standard retro-reflector. In operation, the retro-reflector receives an incident optical signal and outputs a returned optical signal. The returned optical signal exhibits a divergence. The adaptive retro-reflector device includes an elastomeric interface. The elastomeric interface is in optical communication with the retro-reflector such that the incident optical signal passes through the elastomeric interface to the retro-reflector and such that the returned optical signal from the retro-reflector passes through the elastomeric interface. The elastomeric interface includes an interface surface. The apparatus includes a standard actuator. The actuator in operation communicates with the elastomeric interface so as to deform the interface surface, thereby controlling the divergence. Optionally, the elastomeric interface includes a standard elastomeric membrane and a standard optically transparent optical fluid. The optically transparent optical fluid is at least partially encapsulated by the elastomeric membrane.

Adaptive retro-reflector (AR)

A method of flattening a deformable mirror (DM) such as a piezoelectric DM to correct for distortion includes inputting an incident light beam into a reference beam optical path while blocking the DM response, recording a flat wavefront (&#x3a6;n, R) as a reference wavefront from a reference mirror, blocking the reference beam to obtain a DM response, activating a close-loop mode of DM Control Software and computing iterations until a difference between the reference wavefront and the DM response is minimized, recording a wavefront created by the DM (&#x3a6;n, DM) and the corresponding voltage vector (Vn) applied to the DM; and applying a voltage vector to the DM to thereby flatten the DM and correct for the distortion. The method is useful in an application such as for ground-to-space links at Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) wavelengths.

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Ashburn, VA, United States of America

Carlos Font