Modelling of multi-conjugate adaptive optics for spatially variant aberrations in microscopy

Adaptive optics has been implemented in a range of high-resolution microscopes in order to overcome the problems of specimen-induced aberrations. Most implementations have used a single aberration correction across the imaged field. It is known, however, that aberrations often vary across the field of view, so a single correction setting cannot compensate all aberrations. Multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) has been suggested as a possible method for correction of these spatially variant aberrations. MCAO is modelled to simulate the correction of aberrations, both for simple model specimens and using real aberration data from a biological specimen.