CIAO, a versatile adaptive optics system for FSO... SSA, QKD, and astronomy

Adaptive optics has proved to be an indispensable tool for astronomers observing from the ground. If adaptive optics systems remain limited today by seeing conditions and the amount of light, the fact is that they are powerful systems and highly demanded by astronomers. However, they are expensive and often custom-made for specific telescopes, so only a few can afford them. Thanks to its strong knowledge in Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing, Imagine Optic has developed CIAO, a simple, versatile, and affordable adaptive optics system dedicated to telescopes in the range of 0.3 to 1m diameter. We present the architecture of the existing prototype as well as the first experimental results for FSO and light coupling in a single mode fiber.