Adaptive Optics for Direct Detection of Extrasolar Planets: The Gemini Planet Imager

Journal Article · Tue Apr 24 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Comptes rendus - Physique, vol. 8, no. 3-4, April 1, 2007, pp. 365-373

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crhy.2007.04.007· OSTI ID:950621

Macintosh, B; Graham, J; Palmer, D; Doyon, R; Gavel, D; Larkin, J; Oppenheimer, B; Saddlemyer, L; Wallace, J K; Bauman, B; Erikson, D; Poyneer, L; Sivaramakrishnan, A; Soummer, R; Veran, J

The direct detection of photons emitted or reflected by extrasolar planets, spatially resolved from their parent star, is a major frontier in the study of other solar systems. Direct detection will provide statistical information on planets in 5-50 AU orbits, inaccessible to current Doppler searches, and allow spectral characterization of radius, temperature, surface gravity, and perhaps composition. Achieving this will require new dedicated high-contrast instruments. One such system under construction is the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI.) This combines a high-order/high-speed adaptive optics system to control wavefront errors from the Earth's atmosphere, an advanced coronagraph to block diffraction, ultrasmooth optics, a precision infrared interferometer to measure and correct systematic errors, and a integral field spectrograph/polarimeter to image and characterize target planetary systems. We predict that GPI will be able to detect planets with brightness less than 10{sup -7} of their parent star, sufficient to observe warm self-luminous planets around a large population of targets.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 950621
• Report Number(s): UCRL-JRNL-230274
• Journal Information: Comptes rendus - Physique, vol. 8, no. 3-4, April 1, 2007, pp. 365-373, Journal Name: Comptes rendus - Physique, vol. 8, no. 3-4, April 1, 2007, pp. 365-373 Journal Issue: 3-4 Vol. 8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ACCURACY
BRIGHTNESS
CONSTRUCTION
DETECTION
DIFFRACTION
INTERFEROMETERS
OPTICS
PHOTONS
PLANETS
SOLAR SYSTEM
TARGETS