Experimental Demonstration of a Quantum-Optimal Coronagraph Using Spatial Mode Sorters

Abstract

Deep sub-diffraction exoplanet discovery currently lies beyond the reach of state-of-the-art direct imaging coronagraphs, which typically have an inner working angle larger than the diffraction scale. We present an experimental demonstration of a direct imaging coronagraph design capable of achieving the quantum limits of exoplanet detection and localization below the Rayleigh diffraction limit. Our benchtop implementation performs a forward and inverse pass through a free-space programmable spatial mode sorter configured to isolate photons in a point spread function (PSF)-adapted mode basis. During the forward pass, the fundamental mode is rejected, effectively eliminating light from an on-axis point-like star. On the inverse pass, the remaining modes are coherently recombined to form an image of a faint companion. Our experimental system is shown localizing an artificial exoplanet at sub-diffraction distances from its host star under a 1000:1 star-planet contrast.

14 pages, 16 figures

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• Quantum resolution limit of long-baseline imaging using distributed entanglement
• Quantum Limits of Exoplanet Detection and Localization
• Towards Quantum Limited Spatial Resolution of NV-Diamond Magnetometry