THE VECTOR VORTEX CORONAGRAPH: LABORATORY RESULTS AND FIRST LIGHT AT PALOMAR OBSERVATORY
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States)
- Palomar Observatory, California Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 200, Palomar Mountain, CA 92060 (United States)
- JDS Uniphase Corporation, 2789 Northpoint Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95407 (United States)
High-contrast coronagraphy will be needed to image and characterize faint extrasolar planetary systems. Coronagraphy is a rapidly evolving field, and many enhanced alternatives to the classical Lyot coronagraph have been proposed in the past 10 years. Here, we discuss the operation of the vector vortex coronagraph, which is one of the most efficient possible coronagraphs. We first present recent laboratory results and then first light observations at the Palomar observatory. Our near-infrared H-band (centered at approx1.65 mum) and K-band (centered at approx2.2 mum) vector vortex devices demonstrated excellent contrast results in the lab, down to approx10{sup -6} at an angular separation of approx3lambda/d. On sky, we detected a brown dwarf companion 3000 times fainter than its host star (HR 7672) in the K{sub s} band (centered at approx2.15 mum), at an angular separation of approx2.5lambda/d. Current and next-generation high-contrast instruments can directly benefit from the demonstrated capabilities of such a vector vortex: simplicity, small inner working angle, high optical throughput (>90%), and maximal off-axis discovery space.
- OSTI ID:
- 21392368
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 709, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/709/1/53; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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