Photocontrolled deformable mirrors as potential technology for astronomical instrumentation

Deformable mirrors are key optical elements in modern astronomical telescopes and instrumentation both for active and adaptive optical systems. Different technological approaches have been exploited for the realization of the deformable mirrors, especially for adaptive optics devices. A new approach is here presented, namely the photo-controlled deformable mirrors, where the size and density of actuators is set by an illumination pattern projected on the back side of a photoconductor. The working principle and an electric model are presented highlighting the features of the material that affect the performances of the mirror in terms of dynamic range and response time. Based on these results, a prototype exploiting ZnSe as photoconductor is reported together with its characterization.