# First laboratory demonstration of real-time multi-wavefront sensor single conjugate adaptive optics

**Authors:** Benjamin L. Gerard, Daren Dillon, Sylvain Cetre, Rebecca Jensen-Clem  
**arXiv:** [2308.05863](https://arxiv.org/abs/2308.05863)  
**Date:** 2023-08-10  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/arxiv-id/2308.05863v1/

## Key points

- Exoplanet imaging advancements in studying wide-orbit giant planets and their atmospheres
- Limitations posed by speckle noise caused by atmospheric aberrations and internal factors
- Development of Fast Atmospheric Self-coherent camera Technique (FAST)
- Simultaneous first and second stage adaptive optics wavefront sensing and control using SHWFS and FAST
- Potential for implementing FAST on current and future observatories to reduce speckle noise
- Improvement in exoplanet imaging capabilities
- Unlocking new insights into potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system

## Summary

Exoplanet imaging has made significant advancements in studying the formation of wide-orbit giant planets and their atmospheres. To address current limitations posed by speckle noise caused by atmospheric aberrations and internal factors within the telescope and instrument, even after adaptive optics correction, researchers have developed a focal plane wavefront sensing technology called the Fast Atmospheric Self-coherent camera Technique (FAST). In this study, they present the first results of simultaneous first and second stage adaptive optics wavefront sensing and control using a Shack Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWFS) and FAST with two common path deformable mirrors on the Santa Cruz Extreme AO Laboratory (SEAL) testbed. These findings show promising potential for FAST to be implemented on current and future observatories to reduce speckle noise as the main limitation to ELT habitable exoplanet imaging. This research represents an important step towards improving exoplanet imaging capabilities and brings us closer to unlocking new insights into potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.