synim 1.1.6

Synthetic interaction matrix generator for adaptive optics systems

SynIM

Synthetic Interaction Matrix generator for Adaptive Optics systems

Overview

SynIM is a Python package for computing synthetic interaction matrices, projection matrices, and covariance matrices for adaptive optics (AO) systems. It supports both Single Conjugate AO (SCAO), Laser Tomography AO (LTAO), Ground Layer AO (GLAO) and Multi-Conjugate AO (MCAO) configurations with Shack-Hartmann sensors. It also supports GPU acceleration. Some of its functionalities are provided by SPECULA.

Key Features

• 🔧 Interaction matrices for DM-WFS combinations (SCAO/MCAO)
• 📊 Projection matrices for DM-Layer tomography (MCAO/LTAO)
• 📈 Covariance matrices for MMSE reconstructor optimization
• ⚙️ YAML/PRO configuration with automatic parameter parsing
• 💾 SPECULA-compatible FITS format for data exchange
• 🎯 Smart caching to minimize redundant computations
• 🚀 GPU acceleration via CuPy for high-performance computation

Documentation

Full documentation available at: synim.readthedocs.io

Slope Computation Methods

SynIM supports two slope computation methods for interaction matrices:

• derivatives (default): compute numerical derivatives on the transformed phase
• gtilt (optional): compute G-tilt from phase differences in each subaperture

The default behavior is derivatives. To enable G-tilt, pass slope_method='gtilt' when calling the low-level interaction-matrix APIs.

Requirements

• Python ≥ 3.8
• numpy, scipy, matplotlib
• specula - AO simulation framework
• cupy - GPU acceleration (optional, requires CUDA)

Contributing to SynIM

To contribute to SynIM, follow these steps:

1. Fork this repository.
2. Create a branch: git checkout -b <branch_name>
3. Make your changes and add tests for the new functionality.
4. Commit your changes: git commit -m '<commit_message>'
5. Push to the branch: git push
6. Create the pull request.

We require tests for all new features to ensure the stability of the project.

Citation

If you use SynIM in your research, please cite:

@software{synim2025,
  author = {Agapito, Guido},
  title = {SynIM: Synthetic Interaction Matrix Generator},
  year = {2025},
  url = {https://github.com/ArcetriAdaptiveOptics/SynIM}
}

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Authors

• Guido Agapito - INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri

Acknowledgments

It was built as part of the MORFEO project.