Recent developments with the visible nulling coronagraph

Brian A. Hicks; Richard G. Lyon; Matthew R. Bolcar; Mark Clampin; Peter Petrone; Michael A. Helmbrecht; Joseph M. Howard; Ian J. Miller

doi:10.1117/12.2234315

4 August 2016 Recent developments with the visible nulling coronagraph

Brian A. Hicks, Richard G. Lyon, Matthew R. Bolcar, Mark Clampin, Peter Petrone, Michael A. Helmbrecht, Joseph M. Howard, Ian J. Miller

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V; 99072O (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234315
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

A wide array of general astrophysics studies including detecting and characterizing habitable exoplanets could be enabled by a future large segmented telescope with sensitivity in the UV, optical, and infrared bands. When paired with a starshade or coronagraph, such an observatory could enable direct imaging and detailed spectroscopic observations of nearby Earth-like habitable zone planets. Over the past several years, a laboratory-based Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) has evolved to reach requisite contrasts over a ~ 1 nm bandwidth at narrow source angle separation using a segmented deformable mirror in one arm of a Mach-Zehnder layout. More recent efforts targeted broadband performance following the addition of two sets of half-wave Fresnel rhomb achromatic phase shifters (APS) with the goal of reaching 10^-9 contrast, at a separation of 2λ/D, using a 40 nm (6%) bandwidth single mode fiber source. Here we present updates on the VNC broadband nulling effort, including approaches to addressing system contrast limitations.

Citation Download Citation

Brian A. Hicks, Richard G. Lyon, Matthew R. Bolcar, Mark Clampin, Peter Petrone, Michael A. Helmbrecht, Joseph M. Howard, and Ian J. Miller "Recent developments with the visible nulling coronagraph", Proc. SPIE 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V, 99072O (4 August 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2234315

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available