Techniques for high-contrast imaging in multi-star systems. II. Multi-star wavefront control

D Sirbu, S Thomas, R Belikov… - The Astrophysical …, 2017 - iopscience.iop.org
The Astrophysical Journal, 2017iopscience.iop.org
Direct imaging of exoplanets represents a challenge for astronomical instrumentation due to
the high-contrast ratio and small angular separation between the host star and the faint
planet. Multi-star systems pose additional challenges for coronagraphic instruments due to
the diffraction and aberration leakage caused by companion stars. Consequently, many
scientifically valuable multi-star systems are excluded from direct imaging target lists for
exoplanet surveys and characterization missions. Multi-star Wavefront Control (MSWC) is a …
Abstract
Direct imaging of exoplanets represents a challenge for astronomical instrumentation due to the high-contrast ratio and small angular separation between the host star and the faint planet. Multi-star systems pose additional challenges for coronagraphic instruments due to the diffraction and aberration leakage caused by companion stars. Consequently, many scientifically valuable multi-star systems are excluded from direct imaging target lists for exoplanet surveys and characterization missions. Multi-star Wavefront Control (MSWC) is a technique that uses a coronagraphic instrument's deformable mirror (DM) to create high-contrast regions in the focal plane in the presence of multiple stars. MSWC uses" non-redundant" modes on the DM to independently control speckles from each star in the dark zone. Our previous paper also introduced the Super-Nyquist wavefront control technique, which uses a diffraction grating to generate high-contrast regions beyond the Nyquist limit (nominal region correctable by the DM). These two techniques can be combined as MSWC-s to generate high-contrast regions for multi-star systems at wide (Super-Nyquist) angular separations, while MSWC-0 refers to close (Sub-Nyquist) angular separations. As a case study, a high-contrast wavefront control simulation that applies these techniques shows that the habitable region of the Alpha Centauri system can be imaged with a small aperture at
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