A magnetic liquid deformable mirror for high stroke and low order axially symmetrical aberrations.

We present a new class of magnetically shaped deformable liquid mirrors made of a magnetic liquid ( ferrofluid). Deformable liquid mirrors offer advantages with respect to deformable solid mirrors: large deformations, low costs and the possibility of very large mirrors with added aberration control. They have some disadvantages ( e. g. slower response time). We made and tested a deformable mirror, producing axially symmetrical wavefront aberrations by applying electric currents to 5 concentric coils made of copper wire wound on aluminum cylinders. Each of these coils generates a magnetic field which combines to deform the surface of a ferrofluid to the desired shape. We have carried out laboratory tests on a 5 cm diameter prototype mirror and demonstrated defocus as well as Seidel and Zernike spherical aberrations having amplitudes up to 20 mu m, which was the limiting measurable amplitude of our equipment. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.