Phase-change Reconfigurable Optical WavEfront Synthesis System (PROWESS)

An innovative adaptive optical component called PROWESS (Phase-change Reconfigurable Optical WavEfront Synthesis System) is proposed for use in science missions. PROWESS is a flat, metasurface-based optic capable of generating actively-tunable, arbitrary optical wavefronts at ultrafast (nanosecond) speeds, with sub-wavelength resolution, and without moving parts. In contrast to traditional MEMS-mirror-based adaptive optics, PROWESS can operate in transmission or reflection mode, boasts 10-100x faster switching speeds, contains no moving parts, and can perform several optical functions not possible using traditional adaptive optics, such as foveated vision. PROWESS is based on an optical metasurface that manipulates light via spatially-arranged sub-wavelength nanostructures made from novel phase-change materials (PCMs), and achieves active wavefront control by tailoring the phase of each constituent nanostructure. PROWESS is a low-SWaP, critical concept in a variety of Science Directorate (SD) optical systems, from LIDAR and adaptive optics for imaging through scattering media, to turbulent-flow imaging, to beam steering and tunable-focal-length systems.

The SOA in adaptive optics are mechanically-actuated mirrors and plenoptic imagers. Current adaptive optics are formed from segmented mirrors, wherein each mirror segment is independently actuated by a mechanical micro-piston. This actuation allows for the phase of the reflected wavefront to be adjusted/corrected. This approach has several limitations. First, the movable mirrors are extremely sensitive to vibrations and misalignment, are extremely complicated to fabricate, and are inherently limited to reflective operation. Second, the size of the actuators is ~tens of micros or larger, which therefore requires the size of the mirror segments to be larger still. This reduces the overall number of “pixels” across the aperture, which reduces the wavefront-correction resolution. Third, these systems are limited by the total range and minimum step size of their actuators. This limits both the overall magnitude of a wavefront correction, as well as the “fine-tuned” corrections. In the case of plenoptic imagers, the tunability is not accessible in real-time. Plenoptic systems require post-processing computations and thus do not take truly “on-the-fly tunable” images. PROWESS offers significant advantages over the SOA. First, owing to the unique reversible phase-change mechanism of the PCM-based metasurface, PROWESS can tune across a large range of phases, resulting in a significant magnitude in steering angles and absolute wavefront corrections, all at nanosecond tuning speeds. Additionally, intermediate phases of these PCMs can be exploited, which allows for fine-tuning of these same properties. Second, because PROWESS is formed from sub-wavelength nanostructures, each of which acts as an independent pixel, the resolution of possible phase corrections is on the order of a few microns – ~100x higher than a traditional adaptive optics. Additionally, these devices can be made in transmission mode, which opens up a host of new applications and allows for more compact optical configurations previously hindered by reflection-only mirror-based diffractive optics. Finally, PROWESS is able to tune its wavefront in real time, resulting in MHz/GHz tuning rates and requiring no post-processing. PROWESS can be used to improve image quality, beam scanning speed, and beam scanning angular range in ground-, air-, or space-based LIDAR systems. It allows for tunable focal length systems, which can mimic the functionality of existing plenoptic imagers with a fraction of the SWaP-C, and with additional embedded functionality. PROWESS will have direct applicability to vital observation measurements including imaging through aerosol scattering, infrared/thermal imaging, and guide star-based adaptive optics. It also opens up the possibility for new types of non-intrusive optical diagnostic measurements in NASA ground test facilities, particularly in applications where shock structures and turbulent scattering interfere with imaging of flow phenomena.

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