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Digital holographic microscopy is well suited to the search for microbial species due in part to its intrinsic stability, volumetric imaging capability, and sensitivity to very dilute samples. This is all done with a system having no moving parts, making it additionally attractive for flight instrumentation. Our devices have been field tested on several occasions, and have demonstrated robustness to extreme conditions. When bacteria are alive and moving, they are easy to detect. However, some measurements are subtler. Can we distinguish between a live yet nonmotile species and a mineral, for instance? To provide another method of discrimination, we have added the ability to measure object polarization. This will allow us to characterize the sample by polarization state without any sacrifice in the spatial or temporal resolution (

Digital holographic microscopy provides the ability to observe throughout a volume that is large compared to its resolution element without the need to refocus through the volume. This capability enables simultaneous observations of large numbers of small objects within such a volume. We have constructed a microscope that can observe a volume 0.4 x 0.4 x 1.0 μm with submicrometer resolution for observation of microorganisms and minerals in liquid environments in earth and on potential planetary missions. Because environmental samples are likely to contain mixtures of inorganics and microorganisms that are of comparable sizes near the resolution limit of the instrument, discrimination of living and non-living objects may be difficult. The motion of motile organisms can be used to readily distinguish them from non-motile objects (live or inorganic), but additional methods are required to distinguish non-motile organisms and inorganic objects that are of comparable size but different composition and structure. In this paper we evaluate the use of passive motion to make this discrimination by evaluating diffusion and buoyancy characteristics of objects in the field of view.

With the exception of the transit method employed by the Kepler Space Telescope, the radial velocity (RV)technique has proven to be the most fruitful exoplanet detection method to date. High precision measurements with state-of-the-art equipment have achieved RV precision on the order of 0.5 m s−1. Given that Earth's induced RV on the sun is on the order of 10 cm s−1, this regime represents the next milestone on the path to finding Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars. We describe the Vacuum Extreme Radial Velocity Experiment (VERVE), a single mode fiber-fed high-resolution echelle spectrometer which integrates interferometry with spectroscopy with the aim of achieving RV precision at the 10 cm s−1 level, on par with the ESPRESSO spectrograph (Pepe et al., 2014 [1]). The addition of interferometry relaxes the spectral calibration requirement by several orders of magnitude. We detail the spectral calibration of VERVE, including the development of a precise forward model and a data reduction pipeline to facilitate spectral extraction. We examine the model's agreement with the spectra of various calibration sources and present the results of spectral extractions performed on 635 nm and 780 nm laser sources to demonstrate VERVE's spectroscopic capabilities. We note the 10 cm s−1 RV precision threshold for detecting Earth-like planets, and show that the ~ 2 pixel agreement we achieve is consistent with this requirement. We briefly introduce results pertaining to interferometry and conclude by describing the future stages of testing to prepare VERVE for novel RV measurements.

Optical microscopy is one of the key technologies needed for detection of extant life on other solar system bodies. Microscopic images can be used to identify the presence of cell-like objects and discriminate probable cells from other abiotic particles of similar scale through observations of morphology. Image sequences can be used to determine particle density through observation of Brownian motion, enabling discrimination of liquid-filled vesicles from solid mineral grains; non- Brownian motion that is also inconsistent with background flow can also indicate biotic particles. Phase-sensitive imaging modes allow measurement of index of refraction and can be used to image transparent cells that might otherwise require the addition of stains. Because of the likely limited energy available for replication on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, potential unicellular life would likely be present only at very low concentrations requiring a search through substantial volumes of material at very high resolution. We have been developing digital holographic microscopes (DHM) that addresses the need for high resolution search at low concentrations. Our DHM designs provide both the sub micrometer resolution necessary to detect the smallest forms of life and the high throughput needed to do so at very low concentrations. A significant feature of the holographic recording is that all objects in a large volume can be recorded simultaneously, without the need for focus or tracking to image individual objects. We have demonstrated two promising DHM architectures for possible use in potential future life detection missions - one using conventional optics and one using gradient index optics in a “lensless” arrangement. We compare the two designs, their trade spaces, and the features that might make each preferable for specific applications.

Spectral properties of living organism can provide a discriminating method for characterization. However, digital holographic microscopy (DHM), a high-resolution, volumetric imaging technique that is well-suited for examining microbial species is typically monochromatic. Thus, the spectral properties of bacteria are not probed with DHM save only for the wavelength of operation. Here we describe a new DHM instrument which enhances the method via the simultaneous recording of wavelength multiplexed holograms of the sample. This coarse spectral encoding is akin to labeling with RGB values, thereby producing colorized images of the species which enables a new dimension of characterization. This new instrument is derived from a previous architecture which has already demonstrated superior opto/mechanical stability. Herein, this novel instrument is described, and the results of experimental measurements taken with this new instrument are shown.

The dynamic Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) is a common-path phase-shifting interferometric wavefront sensor with some attractive properties including superior sensing of low spatial frequencies and noise rejection. The ZWFS will be integrated as an auxiliary wavefront sensor for the Mount Palomar adaptive optics system on the 200” Hale Telescope. It is also being considered as the sensor for phasing the segmented mirrors of the Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope (CCAT), a 25-meter diameter submillimeter telescope. Here we extend our analysis of the sensor to include its sensitivity to random noise as compared with the more traditional Shack-Hartman sensor. We also explore the accuracy of the sensor to Fourier and Zernike wavefront modes. We describe this analysis, the application to Palomar and CCAT, and the sensor's relevance to future segmented space telescopes.

Imaging of faint companions around nearby stars is not limited by either intrinsic resolution of a coronagraph/telescope system, nor is it strictly photon limited. Typically, it is both the magnitude and temporal variation of small phase and amplitude errors imparted to the electric field by elements in the optical system which will limit ultimate performance. Adaptive optics systems, particularly those with multiple deformable mirrors, can remove these errors, but they need to be sensed in the final image plane. If the sensing system is before the final image plane, which is typical for most systems, then the non-common path optics between the wavefront sensor and science image plane will lead to un-sensed errors. However, a new generation of high-performance coronagraphs naturally lend themselves to wavefront sensing in the final image plane. These coronagraphs and the wavefront sensing will be discussed, as well as plans for demonstrating this with a high-contrast system on the ground. Such a system will be a key system-level proof for a future space-based coronagraph mission, which will also be discussed.

This paper presents an optical configuration for a common-path phase-shifting interferometric wavefront sensor.1 2 This sensor has a host of attractive features which make it well suited for space-based adaptive optics. First, it is strictly reflective and therefore operates broadband, second it is common mode and therefore does not suffer from systematic errors (like vibration) that are typical in other interferometers, third it is a phase-shifting interferometer and therefore benefits from both the sensitivity of interferometric sensors as well as the noise rejection afforded by synchronous detection. Unlike the Shack-Hartman wavefront sensor, it has nearly uniform sensitivity to all pupil modes. Optical configuration, theory and simulations for such a system will be discussed along with predicted performance.