We consider the formulation and analysis of a problem of automaticcontrol: correcting for the distortion induced in an optical wave frontdue to propagation through a turbulent atmosphere. It has recentlybeen demonstrated that high-resolution optical wave-front distortionsuppression can be achieved using feedback systems based on high-resolution spatial light modulators and phase-contrast techniques.We examine the modeling and analysis of such systems for the purposeof refining their design. The approach taken here might also beapplicable to other problems involving feedback controlof physical fields, particularly if the field sensing is performedoptically. (In Proc. Conf. on Information Sciences and Systems, Vol. 2, pp. 718-723, 2001.)