Dynamic wave-front generation for the characterization and testing of optical systems.

We describe a simple method for generating known optical aberrations dynamically, using a ferroelectric liquid-crystal spatial light modulator. Aberrations inherent in the optical system are measured and corrected, and as an example Kolmogorov turbulence is simulated for aperture sizes D/r(0) from 0 to 30, varying at frame rates up to 2.5 kHz. A measure of wave-front generation efficiency is introduced and is shown to be better than 86% for Kolmogorov phase screens with D/r(0) in the range from 0 to 30.