Active correction of aperture discontinuities - optimized stroke minimization II: optimization for future missions

Abstract

High-contrast imaging and spectroscopy provide unique constraints for exoplanet formation models as well as for planetary atmosphere models. Instrumentation techniques in this field have greatly improved over the last two decades, with the development of stellar coronagraphy, in parallel with specific methods of wavefront sensing and control. Next generation space- and ground-based telescopes will allow the characterization cold solar-system like planets for the first time and maybe even in situ detection of bio-markers. However, the growth of primary mirror diameters, necessary for these detection, comes with an increase of their complexity (segmentation, secondary mirror features). These discontinuities in the aperture can greatly limit the performance of coronagraphic instruments. In this context, we introduced a new technique, Active Correction of Aperture Discontinuities - Optimized Stroke Minimization (ACAD-OSM), to correct for the diffractive effects of aperture discontinuities in the final image plane of a coronagraph, using deformable mirrors. In this paper, we present several tools that can be used to optimize the performance of this technique for its application to future large missions. In particular, we analyze the influence of the deformable setup (size and separating distance) and found that there is an optimal point for this setup, optimizing the performance of the instrument in contrast and throughput while minimizing the strokes applied to the deformable mirrors. These results will help us design future coronagraphic instruments to obtain the best performance.

21 pages, 22 figures, accepted in AJ

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Cited by in corpus (8)

• Imaging exoplanets with coronagraphic instruments
• Analytical tolerancing of segmented telescope co-phasing for exo-Earth high-contrast imaging
• High-contrast imager for complex aperture telescopes (HiCAT): 5. first results with segmented-aperture coronagraph and wavefront control
• Fundamental limits to high-contrast wavefront control
• Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraphs with arbitrary aperture telescopes: novel designs using hybrid focal plane masks
• Experimental validation of coronagraphic focal-plane wavefront sensing for future segmented space telescopes
• Experimental validation of active control of low-order aberrations with a Zernike sensor through a Lyot coronagraph
• Redundant apodization for direct imaging of exoplanets I: Robustness to primary mirror segmentation-induced errors outside the segment diffraction limit