Correction of wavefront distortions by means of thermally adaptive optics

A new method for the correction of wavefront distortions in laser interferometers is proposed. In contrast to the usual adaptive correction, by means of piezoelectric actuators, a high power laser beam is used to control the thermal expansion of the optical elements. Since the correction is performed without mechanically contacting the element, no additional mechanical noise is introduced. Initial measurements on aluminium-coated mirrors show the feasibility of this 'thermally adaptive optics' method