Benchtop adaptive-optics testing in the presence of scintillation

We conduct experiments which explore the effects of scintillation on adaptive-optics (AO) performance. To accomplish this, we build and characterize a benchtop atmospheric-turbulence simulator (ATS), AO system, and diagnostic measurement suite consisting of a digital-holographic wavefront sensor and beam-profiling camera. In environments where scintillation is strong, we see AO performance degradation and we discuss the reasons for this performance degradation. The work we present in this paper will be useful to scientists and engineers who are interested in building and testing benchtop ATS and AO systems. Furthermore, this work also informs research efforts exploring AO approaches and performance in the presence of scintillation.