Search

Planet formation is a topic that still has many unanswered questions, particularly regarding the formation of wide orbit giant planets. Detecting more of these types of planets can aid understanding of how they form by giving examples of what kind of planets exist. Direct imaging is uniquely well suited to detecting these kinds of planets, which is why several direct imaging surveys have been launched with this goal. Including the Young Suns Exoplanet Survey, which is looking specifically for wide orbit giant planets around young solar analogues. The survey makes use of the IRDIS instrument on the VLT, which images in parallel with the IFS. By analyzing the IRDIS data, the researchers have already detected three planets in two systems. However, the IFS data has not yet been analyzed. That was the goal for this thesis: to contribute to YSES and the broader scientific community by analyzing the IFS data to search for potential companions. In total, 41 observations of 37 different star systems were analyzed. The data was pre- and post-processed (with SDI), and candidate companions were identified and examined. Eight candidate companions were found in five systems. Of those candidates, all were determined to be background stars and not related to the host. Two were bright single stars. One system had two M-dwarf candidate companions that were in a binary system together. The last two systems each had two candidate companions, and in both cases it was revealed that these candidates form a triple system of their own, with one of the candidates being an unresolved binary. One of these triple systems was previously thought to be an equal mass binary with the host star, however this thesis has proved that this is not the case. All of the systems analyzed also had detection limits computed. This gives a good idea for what size of objects could have been seen if they had been in the images. For most systems, the limit after SDI is around 5-10 Jupiter, Aerospace Engineering

Over two decades ago, the first planet around a star other than the Sun was discovered. With each passing year, more and more such exoplanets are discovered as new technologies and methods of discovery are developed and enhanced. As these techniques continue to mature, humanity gets closer to finally being able to answer the question: are we alone in the universe? Improvements to Adaptive Optics (AO) have enabled ground-based observation to expand to including high-contrast imaging instruments called coronagraphs that are meant to make the direct imaging of exoplanet light possible.Direct imaging is a method of observation that gives astronomers the ability to determine if a planet exhibits signatures of life via spectroscopic analysis for biomarkers. This is a difficult task for three major reasons: the planet orbits very close to its host star if it is located in the so-called habitable zone, the planet light is up to 10^-10 times fainter than the host star light, and static and quasi-static aberration being present during the observation degrades both coronagraph performance and post-processing technique efficacy. In this dissertation, I explore two methods for estimating non-common path aberration (NCPA) in the science instrument of AO enabled, ground-based telescopes. The first is a method called the Differential Optical Transfer Function (dOTF), which is a simple, non-iterative, non-interferometric technique to estimate the complex amplitude field in the exit pupil of an optical system exploiting the properties of the functional derivative of the Optical Transfer Function. dOTF is demonstrated in both simulation and lab based experiments, showing several possible applications, including AO system self calibration, segment cophasing, and estimating systematic NCPA using an off-axis light source. The second method is known as Frazin's algorithm, which is a statistical regression framework that uses wavefront sensor (WFS) and science camera (SC) telemetry with ad

High contrast imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy are powerful techniques to characterize multi-component astronomical systems, examples of which range from stars with planetary companions to similar-mass stellar binaries. The first part of this thesis concerns the instrumentation and science behind detecting substellar companions. We present the development of single photon-counting detectors known as Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for exoplanet direct imaging. Optical/Near-IR MKIDs are low noise detectors which can resolve both the energy and arrival time of individual photons, returning microsecond-accurate time-tagged photon lists. These lists allow for image processing techniques that take advantage of photon spectral and arrival time information to model and subtract the stellar background, leaving behind signal from the faint planetary companion. We discuss the commissioning and characterization of the MKID Exoplanet Camera (MEC), a 20,440 pixel MKID infrared camera that interfaces with the The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) planet finding instrument on the Subaru Telescope at Mauna Kea. MEC is the first permanently deployed near-infrared MKID instrument and is designed to operate both as an IFU, and as a focal plane wavefront sensor in a multi-kHz feedback loop with SCExAO. We present the development and construction of a second generation digital readout system for MEC. Our readout system is capable of identifying, analyzing, and recording photon detection events in real time with a time resolution of order a few microseconds.The second part of this thesis addresses the characterization of the orbital properties and stellar components of multiple star systems through high-resolution spectroscopy. We analyze stellar binaries observed with the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System (M2FS), a fiber-fed double spectrograph that was used to complete a several year-long survey of the core half-degree of open clusters NGC 2516 a

Large surveys with new-generation high-contrast imaging instruments are needed to derive the frequency and properties of exoplanet populations with separations from ~5 to 300 au. A careful assessment of the stellar properties is crucial for a proper understanding of when, where, and how frequently planets form, and how they evolve. The sensitivity of detection limits to stellar age makes this a key parameter for direct imaging surveys. Aims. We describe the SpHere INfrared survey for Exoplanets (SHINE), the largest direct imaging planet-search campaign initiated at the VLT in 2015 in the context of the SPHERE Guaranteed Time Observations of the SPHERE consortium. In this first paper we present the selection and the properties of the complete sample of stars surveyed with SHINE, focusing on the targets observed during the first phase of the survey (from February 2015 to February 2017). This early sample composed of 150 stars is used to perform a preliminary statistical analysis of the SHINE data, deferred to two companion papers presenting the survey performance, main discoveries, and the preliminary statistical constraints set by SHINE. Methods. Based on a large database collecting the stellar properties of all young nearby stars in the solar vicinity (including kinematics, membership to moving groups, isochrones, lithium abundance, rotation, and activity), we selected the original sample of 800 stars that were ranked in order of priority according to their sensitivity for planet detection in direct imaging with SPHERE. The properties of the stars that are part of the early statistical sample wererevisited, including for instance measurements from the Gaia Data Release 2. Rotation periods were derived for the vast majority of the late-type objects exploiting TESS light curves and dedicated photometric observations. Results. The properties of individual targets and of the sample as a whole are presented. © ESO 2021.

The Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes (GSMTs) including the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), and the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), all have extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) instruments planned that will use pyramid wavefront sensors (PWFS). The ExAO instruments all have common features: a high-actuator-count deformable mirror running at extreme speeds (>1 kHz); a high-performance wavefront sensor (WFS); and a high-contrast coronagraph. ExAO WFS performance is currently limited by the need for high spatial sampling of the wavefront which requires large detectors. For ExAO instruments for the next generation of telescopes, alternative architectures of WFS are under consideration because there is a trade-off between detector size, speed, and noise that reduces the performance of GSMT-ExAO wavefront control. One option under consideration for a GSMT-ExAO wavefront sensor is a three-sided PWFS (3PWFS). The 3PWFS creates three copies of the telescope pupil for wavefront sensing, compared to the conventional four-sided PWFS (4PWFS), which uses four pupils. The 3PWFS uses fewer detector pixels than the 4PWFS and should therefore be less sensitive to read noise. Here we develop a mathematical formalism based on the diffraction theory description of the Foucault knife-edge test that predicts the intensity pattern after the PWFS. Our formalism allows us to calculate the intensity in the pupil images formed by the PWFS in the presence of phase errors corresponding to arbitrary Fourier modes. We use these results to motivate how we process signals from a 3PWFS. We compare the raw intensity (RI) method, and derive the Slopes Maps (SM) calculation for the 3PWFS, which combines the three pupil images of the 3PWFS to obtain the X and Y slopes of the wavefront. We then use the Object Oriented MATLAB Adaptive Optics toolbox (OOMAO) to simulate an end-to-end model of an AO system using a PWFS with modulation and compare the performance of t

High contrast imaging and high-resolution spectroscopy are powerful techniques to characterize multi-component astronomical systems, examples of which range from stars with planetary companions to similar-mass stellar binaries. The first part of this thesis concerns the instrumentation and science behind detecting substellar companions. We present the development of single photon-counting detectors known as Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) for exoplanet direct imaging. Optical/Near-IR MKIDs are low noise detectors which can resolve both the energy and arrival time of individual photons, returning microsecond-accurate time-tagged photon lists. These lists allow for image processing techniques that take advantage of photon spectral and arrival time information to model and subtract the stellar background, leaving behind signal from the faint planetary companion. We discuss the commissioning and characterization of the MKID Exoplanet Camera (MEC), a 20,440 pixel MKID infrared camera that interfaces with the The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) planet finding instrument on the Subaru Telescope at Mauna Kea. MEC is the first permanently deployed near-infrared MKID instrument and is designed to operate both as an IFU, and as a focal plane wavefront sensor in a multi-kHz feedback loop with SCExAO. We present the development and construction of a second generation digital readout system for MEC. Our readout system is capable of identifying, analyzing, and recording photon detection events in real time with a time resolution of order a few microseconds.The second part of this thesis addresses the characterization of the orbital properties and stellar components of multiple star systems through high-resolution spectroscopy. We analyze stellar binaries observed with the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System (M2FS), a fiber-fed double spectrograph that was used to complete a several year-long survey of the core half-degree of open clusters NGC 2516 a

The Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes (GSMTs) including the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), and the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT), all have extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) instruments planned that will use pyramid wavefront sensors (PWFS). The ExAO instruments all have common features: a high-actuator-count deformable mirror running at extreme speeds (>1 kHz); a high-performance wavefront sensor (WFS); and a high-contrast coronagraph. ExAO WFS performance is currently limited by the need for high spatial sampling of the wavefront which requires large detectors. For ExAO instruments for the next generation of telescopes, alternative architectures of WFS are under consideration because there is a trade-off between detector size, speed, and noise that reduces the performance of GSMT-ExAO wavefront control. One option under consideration for a GSMT-ExAO wavefront sensor is a three-sided PWFS (3PWFS). The 3PWFS creates three copies of the telescope pupil for wavefront sensing, compared to the conventional four-sided PWFS (4PWFS), which uses four pupils. The 3PWFS uses fewer detector pixels than the 4PWFS and should therefore be less sensitive to read noise. Here we develop a mathematical formalism based on the diffraction theory description of the Foucault knife-edge test that predicts the intensity pattern after the PWFS. Our formalism allows us to calculate the intensity in the pupil images formed by the PWFS in the presence of phase errors corresponding to arbitrary Fourier modes. We use these results to motivate how we process signals from a 3PWFS. We compare the raw intensity (RI) method, and derive the Slopes Maps (SM) calculation for the 3PWFS, which combines the three pupil images of the 3PWFS to obtain the X and Y slopes of the wavefront. We then use the Object Oriented MATLAB Adaptive Optics toolbox (OOMAO) to simulate an end-to-end model of an AO system using a PWFS with modulation and compare the performance of t

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its suite of instruments will offer significant capabilities towards the high contrast imaging of objects such as exoplanets, protoplanetary disks, and debris disks at short angular separations from their considerably brighter host stars. For the JWST user community to simulate and predict these capabilities for a given science case, the JWST Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) is the most readily available and widely used simulation tool. However, the ETC is not capable of simulating a range of observational features that can significantly impact the performance of JWST's high contrast imaging modes (e.g.Target acquisition offsets, temporal wavefront drifts, small grid dithers, and telescope rolls) and therefore does not produce realistic contrast curves. Despite the development of a range of more advanced software that includes some or all of these features, these instead lack in either a) instrument diversity, or b) accessibility for novice users

In the next decade, multiple extremely large telescopes (ELTs) with the capability to directly image earth-like planets around other stars will begin operations. These planets are much fainter than their host stars, and successful detection and characterization will require extreme adaptive optics (ExAO) systems capable of creating and maintaining extremely high contrast regions in the focal plane (dark holes), in spite of atmospheric turbulence. To perform the wavefront correction needed to dig these dark holes, these systems will rely on deformable mirrors (DMs) with >10,000 actuators run at several kHz. The calibration and optimization of these DMs will be a key challenge to overcome to maximize the performance of these instruments. In this dissertation, we report the characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and compact voice coil DMs for MagAO-X, a new ExAO system for the 6.5 m Magellan Clay telescope in Chile and pathfinder for the future Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) ExAO instrument. We implement a number of focal-plane wavefront control strategies that use these integrated DMs to optimize the MagAO-X wavefront for high contrast imaging. Finally, we develop a model to capture the dynamics of the DM facesheet, employ estimation techniques to calibrate it against a MagAO-X DM, and integrate it with an AO simulation to assess the impact of DM dynamics on AO performance.

Since the discovery of the first exoplanet over two decades ago, humanity has continued to discover more exoplanets with every passing year; this is because the methods of discovery and follow-up observation are maturing at a rapid technological pace, as is the interest spurred by being able to answer the question if other life exists outside of our own. Direct imaging is no exception to this paradigm of rapid technological maturity because it is one of the modes by which astronomers can distinguish if any of the exoplanets exhibit signatures of life. That is, astronomers can perform spectroscopic analyses of directly imaged targets. However, this is a daunting task for earth-analogs, as the requirements are nominally two-fold: an observer must detect a signal from a target exoplanet which is 1e-10 times fainter than the star it orbits, and they must do so extremely close to the star -- inside of its habitable zone where the chance to detect life supporting signatures from an atmosphere is greatest. The Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization Complex Mask Coronagraph (PIAACMC) can accomplish this lofty goal in theory, but the maturity of the complex mask continues to be an open question, as its conversion from a theoretically ideal mathematical quantity to an achromatic, pi-phase shifting optical element in a focal plane has only been demonstrated in laboratory settings at best. Hence we focus on the development of the PIAACMC complex mask for the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics instrument at the Subaru telescope, with the goal in mind of testing its initial on-sky performance. In particular, we demonstrate two separate designs and fabrications of complex masks for the same set of PIAA lenses, paying close attention to the details of the fabrication processes and simulating their effects so as to understand any sensitivities to fabrication errors from design specifications which can ultimately impact coronagraphic performance. We use measurements from fabri

Two-photon excitation laser induced fluorescence (2p-LIF) is used here for imaging through an optically dense spray system. The main advantage of the approach is that a low level of unwanted fluorescence signal originating from multiple-light scattering is generated. This leads to high visibility and image contrast even through scattering media, thus providing faithful descriptions of the imaged fluid structures. While 2p-LIF imaging is a well-known point measurement approach in the field of life science microscopy [1], it has, to the best of the authors' knowledge, never been tested for observing atomizing sprays. We take advantage of this process here, at a macroscopic scale, by imaging a light sheet of ~1cm height. To generate enough 2p-LIF signal at such large scale and for single-shot detection, ultra-short laser pulses of high pulse energy are needed. This is obtained by using a laser system providing 25 fs pulses centered at 800 nm wavelength and having 2.5 mJ pulse energy. The technique is demonstrated by imaging a single spray plume from a 6 hole commercial Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) system running at 200 bar injection pressure. The injected liquid is water mixed with Fluorescein dye. We show the important image contrast improvement of 2p-LIF light sheet imaging in comparison with the traditional shadowgraphy, laser sheet Mie scattering and back-fluorescence imaging. The proposed approach is very promising as a future imaging tool for detailed analysis of the dynamics of atomizing spray in the spray formation region.

The success of ground-based, high contrast imaging for the detection of exoplanets in part depends on the ability to differentiate between quasi-static speckles caused by aberrations not corrected by adaptive optics (AO) systems, known as non-common path aberrations (NCPAs), and the planet intensity signal. Frazin (ApJ, 2013) introduced a post-processing algorithm demonstrating that simultaneous millisecond exposures in the science camera and wavefront sensor (WFS) can be used with a statistical inference procedure to determine both the series expanded NCPA coefficients and the planetary signal. We demonstrate, via simulation, that using this algorithm in a closed-loop AO system, real-time estimation and correction of the quasi-static NCPA is possible without separate deformable mirror (DM) probes. Thus the use of this technique allows for the removal of the quasi-static speckles that can be mistaken for planetary signals without the need for new optical hardware, improving the efficiency of ground-based exoplanet detection. In our simulations, we explore the behavior of the Frazin Algorithm (FA) and the dependence of its convergence to an accurate estimate on factors such as Strehl ratio, NCPA strength, and number of algorithm search basis functions. We then apply this knowledge to simulate running the algorithm in real-time in a nearly ideal setting. We then discuss adaptations that can be made to the algorithm to improve its real-time performance, and show their efficacy in simulation. A final simulation tests the technique's resilience against imperfect knowledge of the AO residual phase, motivating an analysis of the feasibility of using this technique in a real closed-loop Extreme AO system such as SCExAO or MagAO-X, in terms of computational complexity and the accuracy of the estimated quasi-static NCPA correction.

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) is a multiyear direct imaging survey of 600 stars to discover and characterize young Jovian exoplanets and their environments. We have developed an automated data architecture to process and index all data related to the survey uniformly. An automated and flexible data processing framework, which we term the Data Cruncher, combines multiple data reduction pipelines (DRPs) together to process all spectroscopic, polarimetric, and calibration data taken with GPIES. With no human intervention, fully reduced and calibrated data products are available less than an hour after the data are taken to expedite follow up on potential objects of interest. The Data Cruncher can run on a supercomputer to reprocess all GPIES data in a single day as improvements are made to our DRPs. A backend MySQL database indexes all files, which are synced to the cloud, and a front-end web server allows for easy browsing of all files associated with GPIES. To help observers, quicklook displays show reduced data as they are processed in real time, and chatbots on Slack post observing information as well as reduced data products. Together, the GPIES automated data processing architecture reduces our workload, provides real-Time data reduction, optimizes our observing strategy, and maintains a homogeneously reduced dataset to study planet occurrence and instrument performance.

This thesis focuses around using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), an instrument designed to directly-image exoplanets, as part of the GPI Exoplanet Survey (GPIES), a multi-year survey to image and characterize Jovian exoplanets orbiting at Solar System Scales (5-100~au). The first half of this thesis is on building the data analysis infrastructure for GPIES. I helped commission GPI by characterizing the ability to measure the position and flux of a star when it is placed behind an occulting mask specifically designed to suppress starlight. I also led the development of the automated data processing infrastructure for GPIES that handles all of the data storage, indexing, and processing. This data infrastructure has optimized survey execution, ensured uniform data products, and characterized instrument performance. In the second half of this thesis, I characterize two notable exoplanetary systems through precise astrometry and orbital analysis. I present improvements to astrometric data analysis that allow us to measure the position of $\beta$ Pic b to one milliarcsecond, the most precise astrometry of an exoplanet to date. I tighten constraints on its orbit, including timing a window in which circumplanetary material of this young exoplanet could be transiting the star. Lastly, I apply the same astrometry techniques to the HR 8799 system which harbors four Jovian exoplanets. I added dynamical stability priors on my orbit fits using an N-body integrator to find stable orbits in the system. Through this, I explore possible orbital resonances and place dynamical constraints on the masses of the planets.

This thesis focuses around using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), an instrument designed to directly-image exoplanets, as part of the GPI Exoplanet Survey (GPIES), a multi-year survey to image and characterize Jovian exoplanets orbiting at Solar System Scales (5-100~au). The first half of this thesis is on building the data analysis infrastructure for GPIES. I helped commission GPI by characterizing the ability to measure the position and flux of a star when it is placed behind an occulting mask specifically designed to suppress starlight. I also led the development of the automated data processing infrastructure for GPIES that handles all of the data storage, indexing, and processing. This data infrastructure has optimized survey execution, ensured uniform data products, and characterized instrument performance. In the second half of this thesis, I characterize two notable exoplanetary systems through precise astrometry and orbital analysis. I present improvements to astrometric data analysis that allow us to measure the position of $\beta$ Pic b to one milliarcsecond, the most precise astrometry of an exoplanet to date. I tighten constraints on its orbit, including timing a window in which circumplanetary material of this young exoplanet could be transiting the star. Lastly, I apply the same astrometry techniques to the HR 8799 system which harbors four Jovian exoplanets. I added dynamical stability priors on my orbit fits using an N-body integrator to find stable orbits in the system. Through this, I explore possible orbital resonances and place dynamical constraints on the masses of the planets.

The Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES) is a multiyear direct imaging survey of 600 stars to discover and characterize young Jovian exoplanets and their environments. We have developed an automated data architecture to process and index all data related to the survey uniformly. An automated and flexible data processing framework, which we term the Data Cruncher, combines multiple data reduction pipelines (DRPs) together to process all spectroscopic, polarimetric, and calibration data taken with GPIES. With no human intervention, fully reduced and calibrated data products are available less than an hour after the data are taken to expedite follow up on potential objects of interest. The Data Cruncher can run on a supercomputer to reprocess all GPIES data in a single day as improvements are made to our DRPs. A backend MySQL database indexes all files, which are synced to the cloud, and a front-end web server allows for easy browsing of all files associated with GPIES. To help observers, quicklook displays show reduced data as they are processed in real time, and chatbots on Slack post observing information as well as reduced data products. Together, the GPIES automated data processing architecture reduces our workload, provides real-Time data reduction, optimizes our observing strategy, and maintains a homogeneously reduced dataset to study planet occurrence and instrument performance.

The success of ground-based, high contrast imaging for the detection of exoplanets in part depends on the ability to differentiate between quasi-static speckles caused by aberrations not corrected by adaptive optics (AO) systems, known as non-common path aberrations (NCPAs), and the planet intensity signal. Frazin (ApJ, 2013) introduced a post-processing algorithm demonstrating that simultaneous millisecond exposures in the science camera and wavefront sensor (WFS) can be used with a statistical inference procedure to determine both the series expanded NCPA coefficients and the planetary signal. We demonstrate, via simulation, that using this algorithm in a closed-loop AO system, real-time estimation and correction of the quasi-static NCPA is possible without separate deformable mirror (DM) probes. Thus the use of this technique allows for the removal of the quasi-static speckles that can be mistaken for planetary signals without the need for new optical hardware, improving the efficiency of ground-based exoplanet detection. In our simulations, we explore the behavior of the Frazin Algorithm (FA) and the dependence of its convergence to an accurate estimate on factors such as Strehl ratio, NCPA strength, and number of algorithm search basis functions. We then apply this knowledge to simulate running the algorithm in real-time in a nearly ideal setting. We then discuss adaptations that can be made to the algorithm to improve its real-time performance, and show their efficacy in simulation. A final simulation tests the technique's resilience against imperfect knowledge of the AO residual phase, motivating an analysis of the feasibility of using this technique in a real closed-loop Extreme AO system such as SCExAO or MagAO-X, in terms of computational complexity and the accuracy of the estimated quasi-static NCPA correction.

For decades, astronomers have used observations of mature planetary systems to constrain planet formation theories, beginning with our own solar system and now the thousands of known exoplanets. Recent advances in instrumentation have given us a direct view of some steps in the planet formation process, such as large-scale protostar and protoplanetary disk features and evolution. However, understanding the details of how planets accrete and interact with their environment requires direct observations of protoplanets themselves. Transition disks, protoplanetary disks with inner clearings that may be caused by forming planets, are the best targets for these studies. Their large distances, compared to the stars normally targeted for direct imaging of exoplanets, make protoplanet detection difficult and necessitate novel imaging techniques. In this dissertation, I describe the results of using non-redundant masking (NRM) to search for forming planets in transition disk clearings. I first present a data reduction pipeline that I wrote to this end, using example datasets and simulations to demonstrate reduction and imaging optimizations. I discuss two transition disk NRM case studies: T Cha and LkCa 15. In the case of T Cha, while we detect significant asymmetries, the data cannot be explained by orbiting companions. The fluxes and orbital motion of the LkCa 15 companion signals, however, can be naturally explained by protoplanets in the disk clearing. I use these datasets and simulated observations to illustrate the effects of scattered light from transition disk material on NRM protoplanet searches. I then demonstrate the utility of the dual-aperture Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer's NRM mode on the bright B[e] star MWC 349A. I discuss the implications of this work for planet formation studies as well as future prospects for NRM and related techniques on next generation instruments.

The SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) instrument aims at detecting extremely faintsources (giant extrasolar planets) in the vicinity of bright stars1. Such a challenging goal requires the use of a very-highorderperformance Adaptive Optics [AO] system feeding the scientific instruments with a quasi-perfect flat wave frontcorrected from all the atmospheric turbulence and internal defects. This AO system, called SAXO (Sphere Ao foreXoplanet Observation) is the heart of the instrument, a heart beating 1200 time per second and providing unprecedentedimage quality for a large ground based telescope at optical/near infrared wavelength. We will present the latest resultsobtained on-sky, demonstrating its exceptional performance (in terms of correction quality, stability and robustness) andtremendous potentiality for exoplanet discovery

The SPHERE instrument (Beuzit, et al., 2010) is dedicated to the direct imaging of extra-solar planets. This kind of observation allows one to study the photons emitted by the planet’s atmosphere itself, or reflected by its surface. The search for bio-markers is therefore made possible. The SPHERE instrument has been installed and commissioned at VLT Paranal Observatory during 2014 and now routinely delivers high contrast images to the exoplanet community. This paper presents a study of the main actual limitation of the SPHERE instrument, as known as the Low Wind Effect [LWE]. This effect has been discovered on SPHERE during commissioning period. Its effect is a strong degradation of the instrument PSF, preventing instrument to perform high contrast imaging. It happens during particularly low wind conditions (below 1m/s at the telescope level) which happens one night out of five.

The SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) instrument aims at detecting extremely faint1sources (giant extrasolar planets) in the vicinity of bright stars . Such a challenging goal requires the use of a very-high-order performance Adaptive Optics [AO] system feeding the scientific instruments with a quasi-perfect flat wave front corrected from all the atmospheric turbulence and internal defects. This AO system, called SAXO (Sphere Ao for eXoplanet Observation) is the heart of the instrument, a heart beating 1200 time per second and providing unprecedented image quality for a large ground based telescope at optical/near infrared wavelength. We will present the latest results obtained on-sky, demonstrating its exceptional performance (in terms of correction quality, stability and robustness) and tremendous potentiality for exoplanet discovery.

The SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) instrument aims at detecting extremely faintsources (giant extrasolar planets) in the vicinity of bright stars1. Such a challenging goal requires the use of a very-highorderperformance Adaptive Optics [AO] system feeding the scientific instruments with a quasi-perfect flat wave frontcorrected from all the atmospheric turbulence and internal defects. This AO system, called SAXO (Sphere Ao foreXoplanet Observation) is the heart of the instrument, a heart beating 1200 time per second and providing unprecedentedimage quality for a large ground based telescope at optical/near infrared wavelength. We will present the latest resultsobtained on-sky, demonstrating its exceptional performance (in terms of correction quality, stability and robustness) andtremendous potentiality for exoplanet discovery

The SPHERE instrument (Beuzit, et al., 2010) is dedicated to the direct imaging of extra-solar planets. This kind of observation allows one to study the photons emitted by the planet’s atmosphere itself, or reflected by its surface. The search for bio-markers is therefore made possible. The SPHERE instrument has been installed and commissioned at VLT Paranal Observatory during 2014 and now routinely delivers high contrast images to the exoplanet community. This paper presents a study of the main actual limitation of the SPHERE instrument, as known as the Low Wind Effect [LWE]. This effect has been discovered on SPHERE during commissioning period. Its effect is a strong degradation of the instrument PSF, preventing instrument to perform high contrast imaging. It happens during particularly low wind conditions (below 1m/s at the telescope level) which happens one night out of five.

The SPHERE (Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet Research) instrument aims at detecting extremely faint1sources (giant extrasolar planets) in the vicinity of bright stars . Such a challenging goal requires the use of a very-high-order performance Adaptive Optics [AO] system feeding the scientific instruments with a quasi-perfect flat wave front corrected from all the atmospheric turbulence and internal defects. This AO system, called SAXO (Sphere Ao for eXoplanet Observation) is the heart of the instrument, a heart beating 1200 time per second and providing unprecedented image quality for a large ground based telescope at optical/near infrared wavelength. We will present the latest results obtained on-sky, demonstrating its exceptional performance (in terms of correction quality, stability and robustness) and tremendous potentiality for exoplanet discovery.

One possible solution to achieve high contrast direct imaging at a small inner working angle (IWA) is to use a vector vortex coronagraph (VVC), which provides a continuous helical phase ramp in the focal plane of the telescope with a phase singularity in its center. Such an optical vortex is characterized by its topological charge, i.e., the number of times the phase accumulates 2 pi radians along a closed path surrounding the singularity. Over the past few years, we have been developing a charge-2 VVC induced by rotationally symmetric subwavelength gratings (SGVC2), also known as the Annular Groove Phase Mask (AGPM). Since 2013, several SGVC2s (or AGPMs) were manufactured using synthetic diamond substrate, then validated on dedicated optical benches, and installed on 10-m class telescopes. Increasing the topological charge seems however mandatory for cancelling the light of bright stars which will be partially resolved by future Extremely Large Telescopes in the near-infrared. In this paper, we first detail our motivations for developing an SGVC4 (charge 4) dedicated to the near-infrared domain. The challenge lies in the design of the pattern which is unrealistic in the theoretically perfect case, due to state-of-the-art manufacturing limitations. Hence, we propose a new realistic design of SGVC4 with minimized discontinuities and optimized phase ramp, showing conclusive improvements over previous works in this field. A preliminary validation of our concept is given based on RCWA simulations, while full 3D finite-difference time-domain simulations (and eventually laboratory tests) will be required for a final validation.

Vortex coronagraphs are among the most promising solutions to perform high contrast imaging at small angular separations from bright stars. They feature a very small inner working angle (down to the diffraction limit of the telescope), a clear 360 degree discovery space, have demonstrated very high contrast capabilities, are easy to implement on high-contrast imaging instruments, and have already been extensively tested on the sky. Since 2005, we have been designing, developing and testing an implementation of the charge-2 vector vortex phase mask based on concentric sub-wavelength gratings, referred to as the Annular Groove Phase Mask (AGPM). Science-grade mid-infrared AGPMs were produced in 2012 for the first time, using plasma etching on synthetic diamond substrates. They have been validated on a coronagraphic test bench, showing broadband peak rejection up to 500: 1 in the L band, which translates into a raw contrast of about 6 x 10(-5) at 2 lambda/D. Three of them have now been installed on world-leading diffraction-limited infrared cameras, namely VLT/NACO, VLT/VISIR and LBT/LMIRCam. During the science verification observations with our L-band AGPM on NACO, we observed the beta Pictoris system and obtained unprecedented sensitivity limits to planetary companions down to the diffraction limit (0 : 1 0 0). More recently, we obtained new images of the HR 8799 system at L band during the AGPM first light on LMIRCam. After reviewing these first results obtained with mid-infrared AGPMs, we will discuss the short-and mid-term goals of the on-going VORTEX project, which aims to improve the performance of our vortex phase masks for future applications on second-generation high-contrast imager and on future extremely large telescopes (ELTs). In particular, we will briefly describe our current efforts to improve the manufacturing of mid-infrared AGPMs, to push their operation to shorter wavelengths, and to provide deeper starlight extinction by creating new designs for h

An external occulter flown in precise formation with a telescope is being considered for high-contrast direct imaging of exoplanets as a viable mission scenario. In this paper, the dynamics about the Sun-Earth L2 region for an occulter-telescope constellation are considered in conjunction with fourth-body and solar radiation pressure acting as disturbing forces. An optimal observation window is defined in terms of both thrust required and the Sun-constellation geometry. By simulation, the effects of the stellar latitude and distance, the spacecraft separation, the magnitude of the disturbing forces, and

An external occulter flown in precise formation with a telescope is being considered for high-contrast direct imaging of exoplanets as a viable mission scenario. In this paper, the dynamics about the Sun-Earth L2 region for an occulter-telescope constellation are considered in conjunction with fourth-body and solar radiation pressure acting as disturbing forces. An optimal observation window is defined in terms of both thrust required and the Sun-constellation geometry. By simulation, the effects of the stellar latitude and distance, the spacecraft separation, the magnitude of the disturbing forces, and