Effects of speckle in adaptive optical systems*

The effects of speckle on the performance of adaptive optical (COAT) systems is examined, with particular emphasis on multidither COAT systems. Experimental, analytical, and computer simulation data are presented that are in mutual agreement and that define the performance of multidither systems in the presence of speckle effects. In general, the performance of coherent-light adaptive systems can be degraded by speckle-induced effects. The severity of the degradation depends on the target parameters (surface roughness, glint structure, geometry, motion) and the adaptive system parameters (wavelength, bandwidth, servo details).