Diffraction-based analysis of tunnel size for a scaled external occulter testbed

Dan Sirbu; N. Jeremy Kasdin; Robert J. Vanderbei

doi:10.1117/12.2232360

29 July 2016 Diffraction-based analysis of tunnel size for a scaled external occulter testbed

Dan Sirbu, N. Jeremy Kasdin, Robert J. Vanderbei

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave; 99043J (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232360
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

For performance verification of an external occulter mask (also called a starshade), scaled testbeds have been developed to measure the suppression of the occulter shadow in the pupil plane and contrast in the image plane. For occulter experiments the scaling is typically performed by maintaining an equivalent Fresnel number. The original Princeton occulter testbed was oversized with respect to both input beam and shadow propagation to limit any diffraction effects due to finite testbed enclosure edges; however, to operate at realistic space-mission equivalent Fresnel numbers an extended testbed is currently under construction. With the longer propagation distances involved, diffraction effects due to the edge of the tunnel must now be considered in the experiment design. Here, we present a diffraction-based model of two separate tunnel effects. First, we consider the effect of tunnel-edge induced diffraction ringing upstream from the occulter mask. Second, we consider the diffraction effect due to clipping of the output shadow by the tunnel downstream from the occulter mask. These calculations are performed for a representative point design relevant to the new Princeton occulter experiment, but we also present an analytical relation that can be used for other propagation distances.

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Dan Sirbu, N. Jeremy Kasdin, and Robert J. Vanderbei "Diffraction-based analysis of tunnel size for a scaled external occulter testbed", Proc. SPIE 9904, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2016: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, 99043J (29 July 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2232360

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KEYWORDS

Performance modeling

Beam propagation method

Space telescopes

Point spread functions

Manufacturing

Telescopes

Collimation

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