What Are the Limitations to AO?

Number of degrees of freedom. (In astronomy, cell size, timescales --> only IR is currently practical. Limitations to Strehl.) (Post-processing deconvlutions.)

Small isoplanatic patch (area that needs research).

Because the isoplanatic patch for the atmosphere is so small, only a tiny fraction of the sky will be near suitably bright stars that can serve as reference beacons. The most promising way to overcome this limitation is the use of powerful lasers to excite sodium atoms high in the atmosphere, producing an artificial star that can be placed near any target of interest.

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