Back to Search Start Over

The space coronagraph optical bench (SCoOB): 2. wavefront sensing and control in a vacuum-compatible coronagraph testbed for spaceborne high-contrast imaging technology

Authors :
Van Gorkom, Kyle
Douglas, Ewan S.
Ashcraft, Jaren N.
Haffert, Sebastiaan
Kim, Daewook
Choi, Heejoo
Anche, Ramya M.
Males, Jared R.
Milani, Kian
Derby, Kevin
Harrison, Lori
Durney, Olivier
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

The 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics endorsed space-based high contrast imaging for the detection and characterization of habitable exoplanets as a key priority for the upcoming decade. To advance the maturity of starlight suppression techniques in a space-like environment, we are developing the Space Coronagraph Optical Bench (SCoOB) at the University of Arizona, a new thermal vacuum (TVAC) testbed based on the Coronagraphic Debris Exoplanet Exploring Payload (CDEEP), a SmallSat mission concept for high contrast imaging of circumstellar disks in scattered light. When completed, the testbed will combine a vector vortex coronagraph (VVC) with a Kilo-C microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirror from Boston Micromachines Corp (BMC) and a self-coherent camera (SCC) with a goal of raw contrast surpassing $10^{-8}$ at visible wavelengths. In this proceedings, we report on our wavefront sensing and control efforts on this testbed in air, including the as-built performance of the optical system and the implementation of algorithms for focal-plane wavefront control and digging dark holes (regions of high contrast in the focal plane) using electric field conjugation (EFC) and related algorithms.<br />Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022

Details

Database :
arXiv
Publication Type :
Report
Accession number :
edsarx.2208.01155
Document Type :
Working Paper