Pupil Plane Phase Apodization

Abstract

Phase apodization coronagraphs are implemented in a pupil plane to create a dark hole in the science camera focal plane. They are successfully created as "Apodizing Phase Plates" (APPs) using classical optical manufacturing, and as "vector-APPs" using liquid-crystal patterning with essentially achromatic performance. This type of coronagraph currently delivers excellent broadband contrast ($\sim$10${}^{-5}$) at small angular separations (few $\lambda /D$) at ground-based telescopes, owing to their insensitivity to tip/tilt errors.

Invited chapter, to be published in the "Handbook of Astronomical Instrumentation", Vol. 3, eds. A. Moore and D. Burrows, WSPC (2018). 9 pages, 1 figure

References in corpus (4)

• Optical Vectorial Vortex Coronagraphs using Liquid Crystal Polymers: theory, manufacturing and laboratory demonstration
• The Vector-APP: a Broadband Apodizing Phase Plate that yields Complementary PSFs
• First On-Sky High Contrast Imaging with an Apodizing Phase Plate
• Performance characterization of a broadband vector Apodizing Phase Plate coronagraph