Two-Sided Pyramid Wavefront Sensor in the Direct Phase Mode

The two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor has been extensively simulated in the direct phase mode using a wave optics code. The two-sided pyramid divides the focal plane so that each half of the core only interferes with the speckles in its half of the focal plane. A relayed image of the pupil plane is formed at the CCD camera for each half. Antipodal speckle pairs are separated so that a pure phase variation causes amplitude variations in the two images. The phase is reconstructed from the difference of the two amplitudes by transforming cosine waves into sine waves using the Hilbert transform. There are also other corrections which have to be applied in Fourier space. The two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor performs extremely well: After two or three iterations, the phase error varies purely in y. The two-sided pyramid pair enables the phase to be completely reconstructed. Its performance has been modeled closed loop with atmospheric turbulence and wind. Both photon noise and read noise were included. The three-sided and four-sided pyramid wavefront sensors have also been studied in direct phase mode. Neither performs nearly as well as does the two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor

Investigation of laser dynamics, modulation and control by means of intra-cavity time varying perturbation

The generation of tunable visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light is examined, along with the control of this light by means of novel mode-locking and modulation techniques. Transient mode-locking of the Nd:YAG laser and generation of short tunable pulses in the visible and the alkali metal inert gas excimer laser systems were investigated. Techniques for frequency conversion of high power and high energy laser radiation are discussed, along with high average power blue and UV laser light sources

Correction of Distributed Optical Aberrations

The objective of this project was to demonstrate the use of multiple distributed deformable mirrors (DMs) to improve the performance of optical systems with distributed aberrations. This concept is expected to provide dramatic improvement in the optical performance of systems in applications where the aberrations are distributed along the optical path or within the instrument itself. Our approach used multiple actuated DMs distributed to match the aberration distribution. The project developed the algorithms necessary to determine the required corrections and simulate the performance of these multiple DM systems

Revealing dendritic pattern formation in Ni, Fe and Co alloys using synchrotron tomography

The microstructural patterns formed during liquid to solid phase transformations control the properties of a wide range of materials. We developed a novel methodology that allows in situ quantification of the microstructures formed during solidification of high temperature advanced alloys. The patterns formed are captured in 4D (3D plus time) using a methodology which exploits three separate advances: a bespoke high temperature environment cell; the development of high X-ray contrast alloys; and a novel environmental encapsulation system. This methodology is demonstrated on Ni, Fe, and Co advanced alloy systems, revealing dendritic pattern formation. We present detailed quantification of microstructural pattern evolution in a novel high attenuation contrast Co-Hf alloy, including microstructural patterning and dendrite tip velocity. The images are quantified to provide 4D experimental data of growth and coarsening mechanisms in Co alloys, which are used for a range of applications from energy to aerospace

Growth of β intermetallic in an Al-Cu-Si alloy during directional solidification via machine learned 4D quantification

Fe contamination is a serious composition barrier for Al recycling. In Fe-containing Al-Si-Cu alloy, a brittle and plate-shaped β phase forms, degrading the mechanical properties. 4D (3D plus time) synchrotron X-ray tomography was used to observe the directional solidification of Fe-containing Al-Si-Cu alloy. The quantification of the coupled growth of the primary and β phase (Al5FeSi) via machine learning and particle tracking, demonstrates that the final size of the β intermetallics was strongly influenced by the solute segregation and space available for growth. The temperature gradient direction controlled the β orientation. The work can be used to validate predictive models

High-resolution time-resolved x-ray microscope for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target dynamics experiments

A versatile x-ray microscope diagnostic has been built to perform target dynamics experiments on the Nova Ten Beam target irradiation facility. This system is based on Wolter's axisymmetric focusing scheme. An alignment system is described which provides for both quick and accurate alignment of the x-ray optic. Results are presented showing the system resolution and accuracy of alignment. Images from target dynamics experiments are also presented. 9 refs

Tomographic wavefront correction for the LSST

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a three mirror modified Paul-Baker design with an 8.4m primary, a 3.4m secondary, and a 5.0m tertiary followed by a 3-element refractive corrector producing a 3.5 degree field of view. This design produces image diameters of <0.3 arcsecond 80% encircled energy over its full field of view. The image quality of this design is sufficient to ensure that the final images produced by the telescope will be limited by the atmospheric seeing at an excellent astronomical site. In order to maintain this image quality, the deformations and rigid body motions of the three large mirrors must be actively controlled to minimize optical aberrations. By measuring the optical wavefront produced by the telescope at multiple points in the field, mirror deformations and rigid body motions that produce a good optical wavefront across the entire field may be determined. We will describe the details of the techniques for obtaining these solutions. We will show that, for the expected mirror deformations and rigid body misalignments, the solutions that are found using these techniques produce an image quality over the field that is close to optimal. We will discuss how many wavefront sensors are needed and the tradeoffs between the number of wavefront sensors, their layout and noise sensitivity

Effects of iron-rich intermetallics and grain structure on semisolid tensile properties of Al-Cu 206 cast alloys near solidus temperature

The effects of iron-rich intermetallics and grain size on the semisolid tensile properties of Al-Cu 206 cast alloys near the solidus were evaluated in relation to the mush microstructure. Analyses of the stress–displacement curves showed that the damage expanded faster in the mush structure dominated by plate-like β-Fe compared to the mush structure dominated by Chinese script-like α-Fe. While there was no evidence of void formation on the β-Fe intermetallics, they blocked the interdendritic liquid channels and thus hindered liquid flow and feeding during semisolid deformation. In contrast, the interdendritic liquid flows more freely within the mush structure containing α-Fe. The tensile properties of the alloy containing α-Fe are generally higher than those containing β-Fe over the crucial liquid fraction range of ~0.6 to 2.8 pct, indicating that the latter alloy may be more susceptible to stress-related casting defects such as hot tearing. A comparison of the semisolid tensile properties of the alloy containing α-Fe with different grain sizes showed that the maximum stress and elongation of the alloy with finer grains were moderately higher for the liquid fractions of ~2.2 to 3.6 pct. The application of semisolid tensile properties for the evaluation of the hot tearing susceptibility of experimental alloys is discussed