Geometric Optimization of a Cylindrical Plasma Adaptive Optics Lens

Abstract

Plasma is a dynamic optical medium with potential applications in the field of aero-optics for wavefront control. The objective is to develop “plasma adaptive optic” devices which rely upon the relationship between plasma electron density and index of refraction. The advantages of plasma adaptive optic devices are that they have no moving parts and can have temporal responses two orders of magnitude higher than the fastest deformable mirror. Therefore, plasma adaptive optic devices have the potential to be more robust, less subject to fatigue, and faster than conventional technology. Experimental results and a theoretical model are presented which investigate the spatial distribution of the plasma inside a cylindrical plasma adaptive optic lens. The experiment reveals two distinct plasma formation regimes that occur depending on the lens geometry. The theoretical model is used to help identify the geometric parameters required to produce each plasma regime. The excellent agreement between the experiment and theory provides a scaling relation for the cylindrical plasma adaptive optic lens. This scaling relation is necessary for the future design of an array of plasma adaptive optics to provide spatial wavefront corrections for aero-optic applications.