Lessons for WFIRST CGI from ground-based high-contrast systems

Abstract

The Coronagraph Instrument (CGI) for NASA's Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) will constitute a dramatic step forward for high-contrast imaging, integral field spectroscopy, and polarimetry of exoplanets and circumstellar disks, aiming to improve upon the sensitivity of current ground-based direct imaging facilities by 2-3 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, CGI will serve as a pathfinder for future exo-Earth imaging and characterization missions by demonstrating wavefront control, coronagraphy, and spectral retrieval in a new contrast regime, and by validating instrument and telescope models at unprecedented levels of precision. To achieve this jump in performance, it is critical to draw on the experience of ground-based high-contrast facilities. We discuss several areas of relevant commonalities, including: wavefront control, post-processing of integral field unit data, and calibration and observing strategies.

Published in Proceedings of the SPIE; Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2018: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave. 13 pages, 6 figures

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Cited by in corpus (7)

• Reference star differential imaging of close-in companions and circumstellar disks with the NIRC2 vortex coronagraph at W.M. Keck Observatory
• Optimized modeling of Gaia-Hipparcos astrometry for the detection of the smallest cold Jupiter and confirmation of seven low mass companions
• Laboratory Demonstration of Spatial Linear Dark Field Control For Imaging Extrasolar Planets in Reflected Light
• Information-theoretical Limits of Recursive Estimation and Closed-loop Control in High-contrast Imaging
• Detecting Exoplanets Using Eclipsing Binaries as Natural Starshades
• Original use of MUSE's laser tomography adaptive optics to directly image young accreting exoplanets
• Developing Linear Dark-Field Control for Exoplanet Direct Imaging in the Laboratory and on Ground-based Telescopes