Abstract Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) can considerably extend the corrected field of view with respect to classical adaptive optics, which will benefit solar observation in many aspects. In solar MCAO, the Sun structure is utilized to provide multiple guide stars and a modal tomography approach is adopted to implement three-dimensional wavefront restorations. The principle of modal tomography is briefly reviewed and a numerical simulation model is built with three equivalent turbulent layers and a different number of guide stars. Our simulation results show that at least six guide stars are required for an accurate wavefront reconstruction in the case of three layers, and only three guide stars are needed in the two layer case. Finally, eigenmode analysis results are given to reveal the singular modes that cannot be precisely retrieved in the tomography process.
Keywords instrumentation: multi-conjugate adaptive optics — tomography
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