2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Imaging the Unseen: Advanced Adaptive Optics Enabling Scientific Discovery

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technology that combines deformable optics with advanced image-processing techniques to correct distortions in real time, thereby producing a sharper image of the desired target. AO was first designed for use in astronomy, where it corrects for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere. It has since been adapted for applications in vision science to correct for aberrations in the eye. The latest AO systems in both fields are designed to optimize performance for specific scientific goals, such as high contrast. With these specialized systems, we can now image and study phenomena that were previously hidden from scientific investigation. This session will explain the interplay of science and engineering in AO instrument design. Speakers will describe recent advances in image and signal-processing techniques to improve system performance and the tools researchers use to analyze and interpret the images produced. They will explain how directly imaging exoplanets from ground-based telescopes has opened a new domain of astronomy and examine advances in vision science, such as high-contrast imaging of the retina and real-time stabilization techniques that allow light to be sent to single cells. The session will include discussion of how to facilitate collaboration between science and engineering and between disparate disciplines -- such as astronomy and vision science -- to promote innovative science and technology.