Application of geometric phase to wavefront sensing for astronomical adaptive optics

Modern adaptive optics systems give high performance, both in terms of Strehl ratio (degree of correction) and corrected field of view. Arguably the most important subsystem is the wavefront sensor, which measures the deviation from flatness of the incident wavefront that has been perturbed by the turbulent atmosphere, and commands an actuated mirror to compensate. An aspect of the wavefront sensor essential to achieving high sensitivity is that it perform over a broad spectral bandwidth; operation without correction for guide star color is also desirable. With this in mind, wavefront sensors are considered that make use of the geometric (or topological) phase, which has the property that the value of the phase is independent of wavelength. Conceptual system designs and advantages are discussed.