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adaptive optics.

Noun
Sci-FiSettingTechnical
MEANING

Techniques that adjust optical elements to compensate for measured or estimated distortions in a light wavefront.

Use it for

a telescope compensating for turbulence; optical distortion corrected through moving or deforming elements; a light path adjusted during operation; imaging improved before recording

Words that belong together

  • an adaptive-optics system
  • adaptive optics correction
  • a deformable mirror in adaptive optics

On the page

Adaptive optics sharpened the star while the surrounding air continued to shimmer.
The deformable mirror in the adaptive-optics system responded faster than she could see.

Related words

wavefront correctiondeformable mirroroptical compensation
Word forms
Base
adaptive optics

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Science-fiction vocabulary

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Uncountable field or technique name, ordinarily with singular agreement. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.

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