adaptive optics

American  

noun

1. the branch of optics that compensates for image distortions, especially by means of flexible mirrors or membranes.

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adaptive optics British  

noun

1. a technique used to increase the resolution of a ground-based astronomical telescope by counteracting the effects of the atmosphere on the image. A deforming mirror in the light path of the telescope maintains a pointlike image of the celestial body using either a real star or a laser beam as a reference

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Example Sentences

To correct for this, the Subaru Telescope team used adaptive optics, a technology that continuously adjusts to cancel out these distortions and stabilize the light waves in real time.

From Science Daily

"Even with adaptive optics, the photonic lantern was so sensitive to the wavefront fluctuations that I had to develop a new data processing technique to filter out the remaining atmospheric turbulence."

From Science Daily

This system is installed on the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics instrument at the Subaru Telescope in Hawai'i, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

From Science Daily

Dr Elise Vernet is an adaptive optics specialist at ESO and has been overseeing development of the five giant mirrors that will gather and channel light to the telescope’s measuring equipment.

From BBC

The observations were made possible by a new high-contrast optical imaging instrument, dubbed SHARK-VIS, and the telescope's adaptive optics system, which compensates for the blurring induced by atmospheric turbulence.

From Science Daily