Eighth-Order Image Masks for Terrestrial Planet Finding

Abstract

We describe a new series of band-limited image masks for coronagraphy that are insensitive to pointing errors and other low-spatial-frequency optical aberrations. For a modest cost in throughput, these ``eighth-order'' masks would allow the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph (TPF-C) to operate with a pointing accuracy no better than that of the Hubble Space Telescope. We also provide eighth-order notch filter masks that offer the same robustness to pointing errors combined with more manageable construction tolerances: binary masks and graded masks with moderate optical density requirements.

21 pages, including 6 figures. Accepted to ApJ

References in corpus (5)

• Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization of Telescope Pupils for Extrasolar Terrestrial Planet Imaging
• Circularly Symmetric Apodization via Starshaped Masks
• Spiderweb Masks for High-Contrast Imaging
• Two-Mirror Apodization for High-Contrast Imaging
• Using Notch-Filter Masks for High Contrast Imaging of Extrasolar Planets

Cited by in corpus (16)

• Theoretical Limits on Extrasolar Terrestrial Planet Detection with Coronagraphs
• First On-Sky High Contrast Imaging with an Apodizing Phase Plate
• Coronagraphic Low Order Wavefront Sensor: Principle and Application to a Phase-Induced Amplitude Coronagraph
• Introduction to stellar coronagraphy
• An Eight-Octant Phase-Mask Coronagraph
• Comparative Lyot Coronagraphy with Extreme AO Systems
• Diffraction Analysis of 2-D Pupil Mapping for High-Contrast Imaging
• Improved achromatization of phase mask coronagraphs using colored apodization
• Comparison of coronagraphs for high contrast imaging in the context of Extremely Large Telescopes
• Diffraction-Based Sensitivity Analysis of Apodized Pupil Mapping Systems
• On-Sky Demonstration of a Linear Band-limited Mask with Application to Visual Binary Stars
• A dual-mask coronagraph for observing faint companions to binary stars
• Laboratory Testing of a Lyot Coronagraph Equipped with an Eighth-Order Notch Filter Image Mask
• Direct Detection of Planets Orbiting Large Angular Diameter Stars: Sensitivity of an Internally-Occulting Space-Based Coronagraph
• Spectroscopic fourth-order coronagraph for the characterization of terrestrial planets at small angular separations from host stars
• First Principle Simulator of a Stochastically Varying Image Plane for Photon-Counting High Contrast Applications