Recent Advances in Optical Wavefront Sensing Technology

Optical wavefront is the geometric representation of the phase surface of light waves. Optical wavefront sensing technology analyzes the properties of objects by detecting phase changes in the light wave propagation path. This technology is widely used in atmospheric turbulence detection, optical element defect analysis, and biological sample research, playing a crucial role in fields such as astronomy, adaptive optics, microscopic imaging, laser systems, and biomedicine. However, common detectors are only sensitive to light intensity. To detect optical wavefronts, a series of complex optical components are typically required at the detection front end, leading to large system sizes, high costs, and structural complexity. In recent years, with continuous advancements in micro-nano optics and artificial intelligence, a series of integrated, miniaturized, and high-performance optical wavefront sensing technologies based on new principles, devices, and algorithms have emerged. This paper systematically reviews the recent research progress in optical wavefront sensing techniques, including two main types of interferometric and non-interferometric as well as typical methods: shear interferometry type, grating interferometry type, near-field interferometry type, algorithmic reconstruction type, and dimension-associated type. Finally, the current challenges in the field are summarized and the future development directions prospected.