Wavefront Sensing and Control with the Many Headed Hydra Modal Basis

Abstract: The future of space and ground based telescopes is intimately tied to technology and algorithm development surrounding wavefront sensing and control. Only with cutting edge developments and unusual ideas will we be able to build diffraction limited observatories on the ground that contend with earth-atmosphere, as well as space-based observatories that sense and control for optical aberrations and telescope jitter. There exist a variety of mathematical bases for decomposing wavefront images, including the zonal modal basis, Zernike polynomials, and Fourier modes. However, previous bases have neglected the most vital element of astronomical optics: our field is only as good as the people in it. In this paper we propose a new Many Headed Hydra Modal Basis (hydra heads) for wavefront decomposition, using physical representations of the Adaptive Optics community. We find that the first author makes the best wavefront decomposition, on the order of a correct reconstruction within $\sim 1\%$ of the original turbulence image. We discuss engineering implications of the Many Headed Hydra Modal Basis, as applied to deformable mirror technology and within active and adaptive optics control loops. Finally, we explore predictive control avenues, by positing that the first author being the most effective wavefront predicts a successful future for them as a high contrast imaging scientist.