High-resolution liquid crystal spatial light modulators for adaptive optics

Liquid crystals (LC) have many applications in optics. Many electro-optical devices, like LC spatial light modulators (SLMs), take advantage of electrically controllable birefringence in LCs. LC SLMs are amazingly flexible devices for controlling the phase and amplitude of light. Consequently, LC SLMs are being used for such techniques as wavefront sensing, emulating atmospheric turbulence, wavefront correction, beam steering, and holography. These techniques are often used in aerospace applications like laser weapons, free-space optical communications, satellite tracking, and satellite imagery. This paper highlights the use of LC SLMs for wavefront correction in a laser communication system and shows simulation results