Fig. 3

Method B—quasi-sensorless vectorial adaptive optics. a Optimisation of SV’(x,y), which represents a Stokes vector that varies across the pupil, which is located before the aberration described by the Mueller matrix MM(x, y) and is thus related to the transformed Stokes vector SV(x, y). For a fixed point in the pupil P(n, m), the intensity is mapped onto the Poincaré sphere as function of SV’(n, m). The intensity at the same point is equivalently mapped onto a graph of the SLM pixel values. The correction mechanism involves interpolation to the maximum intensity point through a sequence of measurements using different SV’(m,n). The detailed mechanism is elaborated in Additional file 1: Note S5. b V-AO off vs. V-AO on status with a tilted waveplate array. SOP distributions, DM phase patterns, foci profiles, and an exemplar for comparison are given. c Comparison of V-AO off and V-AO on status for an assembly of protected silver mirrors. SOP distributions and Poincaré sphere comparisons are given, showing compensation of the significant errors introduced by the mirrors