Adaptive Image Correction System for a Large-Aperture Solar Telescope

Abstract

Results of processing experimental data obtained during expeditions in 2011 and 2023 on the Large Solar Vacuum Telescope (LSVT) are analyzed. An adaptive multi-circuit system for stabilizing the light flux and correcting distortions of images of the solar photosphere under conditions of moderate and strong atmospheric turbulence was tested. To eliminate jitter caused by vibrations of the telescope’s siderostat and the influence of the atmosphere, a wavefront tilt corrector was used in the first circuit of the system. Spectral analysis of the measurements showed that at high wind speeds, the light beam is deflected mainly under the action of the vibration of the telescope’s siderostat with a frequency of about 8 Hz and maximum amplitude of up to 10 arcseconds. In calm weather, the spectra of random jitter have a power-law dependence on frequency, characteristic of the atmosphere. To eliminate blur and improve image quality, specially created software was used for computer processing of digital video frames in real-time observation.