aquilA Optics modeling and design of (adaptive) optical systems

aquilA Optics

modeling and design of (adaptive) optical systems

what we do

most optical systems suffer from aberrations damaging their imaging or transmission performances - best example is given by turbulence in Earth’s atmosphere limiting the resolution of ground-based astronomical telescopes, as if you were seeing the world from the bottom of a swimming pool

adaptive optics are opto-electro-mechanical systems using wavefront sensors to track the perturbing aberration (dynamical or static) and a corrective device (active lenses, deformable mirrors) to compensate the aberration and restore the initial performance of the optical device. Applications of AO systems are everywhere ... where there are photons

we study and design adaptive optics systems for any type of application

we welcome any project partnership proposition from industries and academics, not limited to adaptive optics systems

aquilAOptics was created in 2010 as a support to astronomical adaptive optics projects studies by Laurent Jolissaint, PhD in astronomical instrumentation

aquilAOptics is - for now - a single person company, i.e. just me, Laurent J. (CV 20090319-eCV.pdf)

I have been working in the field of astronomical adaptive optics since 1996, and completed my PhD at the Observatory of Geneva, Switzerland, in 2000

Then I moved to Victoria, Canada to work as an AO scientist at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, where I conducted research in astronomical AO system modeling and performance diagnostic

In 2007 I moved back to Europe, at the Observatory of Leiden (Netherlands), still as an AO scientist

Since 2010 I am back in my home country, Switzerland, working as a free lance in AO R&D

AO system performance estimation - point spread function reconstruction (PSF-R)

for Gemini and Keck Observatories AO systems - a partnership with Gemini Observatory (Hawaii, USA), W.M. Keck Observatory (Hawaii, USA), and the Kapteyn Institute at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands).

ophthalmic surgery visualization systems

studying new systems to help the ophthalmic surgeon in his everyday practice

IMAKA, a 1 degree field of view AO system project for the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope

I did the dimensioning and performance estimate of the planned system - report is available on demand

my publications can be downloaded here

my publication list on NASA/ADS

books about AO, astronomical optics, atmospheric optics and control systems

center for adaptive optics

adaptiveoptics.org

AO at the European Southern Observatory (ESO)

AO at the University of Victoria, Canada

laurent.jolissaint@aquilaoptics.com