First laboratory results on the correction capability of a ground-layer adaptive optics system

Ground-layer adaptive optics (GLAO) has been widely used in ground-based telescopes to enable wide-field, high-resolution imaging. Layer correction efficiency (LCE) has been validated as an effective criterion for assessing a GLAO system’s ability to correct turbulence layers at various altitudes. While LCE has been studied in simulation contexts, its experimental validation on real systems remains limited. This study presents the first laboratory evaluation of a GLAO system using the LCE metric. A GLAO experimental platform was developed based on an extended-object Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. Phase screens were placed at different heights, and LCE was calculated by open-loop and closed-loop wavefronts. By modifying the spatial configuration of the phase screens, the system’s performance under different turbulence distributions was analyzed. The results confirm that LCE effectively characterizes the layer correction performance and serves as a practical tool for the design and optimization of GLAO systems.