Shack-Hartmann Sensing

aperture image

Richardson 1983

Hartmann Sensor
mask

Physically awkward
Requires bright stars
Sparse sampling

Shack-Hartmann Sensor
collimator

lenslet array

fl

r
mf lz

pupil @ magnification m
Compact
Can use faint stars
Dense sampling

(microns)

r
z

(arcsec)

Shack-Hartmann Test (Detail)

Shack Hartmann I

Shack-Hartmann Test (Detail), cont.

Shack Hartmann II

Schematic of the Back End of the Keck AO WFS

2 mm
200

64 64 array
21 21 pix
lenslets

CCD
relay lens
3.15 reduction

S-H Simulation: Blank

S-H Simulation: Astigmatism

S-H Simulation: Focus

S-H Simulation: Coma

S-H Simulation: Spherical Aberration

UFS Ref Beam

Ultra Finescreen
Reference Beam
Exposure

UFS Image (before)

Ultra Fine Screen Image
(Segment 8)
(0.44 arcsec RMS)

Centroid Offset Display

UFS C. offsets (before)

Centroid Offset Summary Info:

Translation from Ref

Rotation from Ref (rad)

Scale change from Ref:

-4.87
:

-0.02

0.271E-03
1.017

KEY: 0.140 arcseconds per pixel

Scale Error
:
80% Enclosed Energy :
50% Enclosed Energy :
RMS Error

-2.75
10.93
7.66
3.14

Max Error (pixels)

: 11.11
Subimage With Max Error :
209

15 pixels

SH Wavefront Preconstruction
2

d I1 I 2 I 3 + I 4
x =
2 I1 + I 2 + I 3 + I 4

d I1 + I 2 I 3 I 4
y =
2 I1 + I 2 + I 3 + I 4

Quad Cell
guard pixels

S-H Wavefront Reconstruction

r
mf lz

The Shack-Hartmann
WFS provides a direct r
measure of the gradient z
of the wavefront. How do
we reconstruct the
wavefront z?

Using a finite difference approximation to the gradient, we

can convert the integration to a linear algebra problem.

Construction of the S-H Square Matrix

phase point

i+1

gradient point
(lenslet)
i
j

j+1

z
= ( zi +1, j +1 + zi , j +1 zi +1, j zi , j ) / 2
x
z
= ( zi +1, j +1 + zi +1, j zi , j +1 zi , j ) / 2
y

z
= ( zi +1, j +1 + zi , j +1 zi +1, j zi , j ) / 2
x
z
= ( zi +1, j +1 + zi +1, j zi , j +1 zi , j ) / 2
y
We can collect the equations for all lenslets as

r r
A z =b

(z / x)1
b1

b
z
:

2
1

: = : =
:

z
:
:

n
(z / y ) m / 2
bm

unknown
phase points

mn matrix with m>n

data vector

or:

m equations in
n unknowns

For a system of n n
lenslets, there are 2n2
gradients and (n+1)2 phase
points.

Thus the smallest

constrained system
has n = 3, i.e. 18
gradients and 16 phase
points.

A Digression on Singular Value

Decomposition
b1
b
2
b3


bm

w1

= {U }

w2

VT

wn

{ }

z1
z
2


z

Theory: Numerical Recipes, Press et al

Code: LAPACK (Linear Algebra PACKage)
See also: Mathematica, Matlab, etc.

A Simpler Singular Value Decomposition Problem

s1
z2
s2

z1

s3
z3

3-segments (piston-only)
3 edge sensors

s1 = z 2 z1
s2 = z3 z 2
s3 = z1 z3
or:

r
r
s =Az

Thus we have

r
r
s =Az

-1 0 1
where: A = 0 -1 1
1 0 -1

If the inverse existed, we would have:

r
1 r
z =A s
but A-1 does not exist.
SVD can be used to construct the pseudo- inverse which
will find the best solution z in a least-squares sense.

Singular Value Decomposition of the A-matrix

The matrix A can be decomposed as: A = UWVT
A matrix
s1
w1
s

{
}
=
U
s
3

sm
mn

w2

nn

T
V

wn

{ }

z1

z2


z n

nn

V is orthogonal.

The wj 0 are the singular values of A.

The pseudo-inverse of A is then B = V {wj-1 } UT

pseudo-inverse of

w
z1

z
2

{
}
=
V

z n

1
1

w21

T
U

wn1

{ }

s1
s
2
s3


sm

If wj = 0, then set wj-1 = 0.

The columns of V (rows of VT) are the modes of the system.

r
If wj = 0, then the jth column of V - call it v j - is

singular in the sense:

r
A vj = 0
i.e. it is undetectable. This is dangerous because
arbitrary amounts of this mode can be added to the
solution without affecting the measurements.
SVD deals with this not only by identifying the singular
modes, but by insuring that the solution does not contain
any singular components.

-1 0 1
In the present example we have A = 0 -1 1
1 0 -1
and:

1/ 3
V

= 1/ 3
1/ 3

1
1

w1 = 0

1/ 6

0
1/ 2

2/ 6
1/ 6

1
0

1/ 2

1
-2

-1

w2 = 3

w 3 = 3

 and the pseudo-inverse is:

B =

1/ 3

1/ 3

1/ 3

1/ 3

1/ 3

1/ 3

so that the solution is:

z1 =

s + 13 s3

1
3 1

z 2 = 13 s1 13 s2
z3 = 13 s2 13 s3
Note that z1 + z 2 + z3 = 0 as claimed.
Also:

z 2 = 92 s 2

Noise Propagation
If the random noise in the sj (gradients) is s, then the rms
amplitude of zi (ith phase point) summed over modes is:

z =
2
i

Vij2
w

2
j

s = e s
2

2
i

Sum is over nonsingular modes.

and the rms averaged over all the zi in the jth mode is:

z 2j =
i

Vij2
mw

2
j

s 2 = 2j s 2

Sum is over phase pts.

What SVD Does

Constructs a pseudo-inverse matrix, which solves the
problem in a least-squares sense.
Diagnoses the singular modes and does not let them
infect the solution.
Finds a complete set of modes which are orthogonal
both in the ordinary sense and in that their errors are
independent.
Characterizes the noise propagation.

Keck Pupil

Matrix A

(Pseudo) Inverse of Matrix A

A Problem with Square Geometry: Waffle Mode

+1

-1

This produces z/dx = 0

and z/y = 0 and so is
undetectable.
-1

+1

Waffle Mode

Hexagonal Geometry
In this case, the
minimal system
has 7 lenslets
(14 12 matrix)

Construction of the SH Matrix for Hex Geometry

a

c
b

z
= ( z a + zb 2 z c ) / 3
x
z
= ( z a zb ) / 3
y

Hexagonal SH Geometry on a CCD with Aspect Ratio 2:3

guard pixels

Square vs. Hex

waffle mode?
pixel aspect
phase pts per
lenslet (300)
phase pts per
lenslet ()

yes
1:1
324/289
1

no
2:3
300/271
1

error mult.
(dimensionless)

1.29

1.53

error mult.
(/arcsec per m)

6.26

4.61

fraction pix used

4/9

4/12

Original Function (0,2)

1.0

SH Reconstruction
1.0

1.0

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
=0

1.0

1.0

1.0

Original Function (2,1)

SH Reconstruction

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.0132

1.0

1.0

1.0

Original Function (3,1)

SH Reconstruction

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.0307

1.0

1.0

1.0

Original Function (3,2)

SH Reconstruction

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.0421

Original Function (4,2)

1.0

1.0

1.0

SH Reconstruction

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.0866

Original Function (5,2)

1.0

SH Reconstruction
1.0

1.0

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.150

Original Function (5,3)

1.0

SH Reconstruction
1.0

1.0

Reconstructed Minus Original

Frac. RMS
= 0.178

Modal Reconstruction

The above reconstruction is zonal; alternatively, in a modal

reconstruction, we assume that the wavefront can be expanded in a
finite number of known modes Pj(x,y):

z = c j Pj ( x, y )
n

j =1

r
r
n
z = c j Pj ( x, y )
j =1

This can be converted to a linear problem as before:

r
r
z = Bc

Write out

r r
Bc = z

mn
The jth column of B is
simply the x and y
components of the
gradient of the jth mode
evaluated at each of the
m/2 points.

as:

(z / x )1

c (z / x )m / 2
2

=
(z / y )1

cn

(z / y )m / 2
n

(unknown)
coefficients of
the modes

data vector

Shack-Hartmann Sensor
Advantages
Simple and relatively easy to implement
Insensitive to low-spatial frequency sensitivity variations across
detector
Mature technology

Disadvantages
Fixed sensitivity (lenslet focal length)
Large errors from discrete approximation at high spatial
frequencies
Non-linearities (quad cell effects)
Needs mechanically accurate pupil registration

S-H Piston Sensitivity

Phasing Geometry
Top View

Side View
Image plane

illuminated spot

12 cm

0.9 m

piston
error

Phasing Template
Sequence (891 nm)

Step Size =

10

11

= 40 nm
22

NB Image

Nearly phased

Aostack Image

Well-phased

Aostack Zoom

Well-phased
(detail)