Direct exoplanet imaging possibilities of the nulling stellar coronagraph

Olivier Guyon; Francois J. Roddier

doi:10.1117/12.390230

5 July 2000 Direct exoplanet imaging possibilities of the nulling stellar coronagraph

Olivier Guyon, Francois J. Roddier

Proceedings Volume 4006, Interferometry in Optical Astronomy; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390230
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2000, Munich, Germany

Abstract

The nulling stellar coronagraph, first proposed by Roddier and Roddier and later demonstrated in a laboratory experiment is a technique to produce wide-field coronagraphic images. It uses a small phase-shifting mask in the focal plane to remove the central star by destructive interference. When applied to a space-based interferometric array of telescopes, it can be a powerful tool to search for faint companions around nearby stars or image circumstellar disks. A program was written to simulate the performance of a nulling stellar coronagraph for single or multi aperture telescopes in space or on the ground. In this study, we explore some aspects of the use of such a technique. By running our simulation program on various sources, we find that a nulling stellar coronagraph applied on a space interferometer like Darwin or TPF can image Earth-type planets in less than an hour of exposure time.

Citation Download Citation

Olivier Guyon and Francois J. Roddier "Direct exoplanet imaging possibilities of the nulling stellar coronagraph", Proc. SPIE 4006, Interferometry in Optical Astronomy, (5 July 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.390230

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