Multi-Color Coronagraph Experiment in a Vacuum Testbed with a Binary Shaped Pupil Mask

We conducted a number of multi-band coronagraph experiments using a vacuum chamber and a binary-shaped pupil mask which in principle should work at all wavelengths, in the context of the research and development on a coronagraph to observe extra-solar planets (exoplanets) directly. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that subtraction of Point Spread Function (PSF) and multi-band experiments using a binary-shaped pupil mask coronagraph would help improve the contrast in the observation of exoplanets. A checkerboard mask, a kind of binary-shaped pupil mask, was used. We improved the temperature stability by installing the coronagraph optics in a vacuum chamber, controlling the temperature of the optical bench, and covering the vacuum chamber with thermal insulation layers. We evaluated how much the PSF subtraction contributes to the high contrast observation by subtracting the images obtained through the coronagraph. We also carried out multi- band experiments in order to demonstrate a more realistic observation using Super luminescent Light Emitting Diodes (SLEDs) with center wavelengths of 650nm, 750nm, 800nm and 850nm. A contrast of 2.3x10-7 was obtained for the raw coronagraphic image and a contrast of 1.3x10-9 was achieved after PSF subtraction with a He-Ne laser at 632.8nm wavelength. Thus, the contrast was improved by around two orders of magnitude from the raw contrast by subtracting the PSF. We achieved contrasts of 3.1x10-7, 1.1x10-6, 1.6x10-6 and 2.5x10-6 at the bands of 650nm, 750nm, 800nm and 850nm, respectively, in the multi-band experiments. The results show that contrast within each of the wavelength bands was significantly improved compared with non-coronagraphic optics. We demonstrated PSF subtraction is potentially beneficial for improving contrast of the coronagraph, and this coronagraph produces a significant improvement in contrast with multi-band light sources.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in PAS

Near-infrared and Mid-infrared Spectroscopy with the Infrared Camera (IRC) for AKARI

The Infrared Camera (IRC) is one of the two instruments on board the AKARI satellite. In addition to deep imaging from 1.8-26.5um for the pointed observation mode of the AKARI, it has a spectroscopic capability in its spectral range. By replacing the imaging filters by transmission-type dispersers on the filter wheels, it provides low-resolution (lambda/d_lambda ~ 20-120) spectroscopy with slits or in a wide imaging field-of-view (approximately 10'X10'). The IRC spectroscopic mode is unique in space infrared missions in that it has the capability to perform sensitive wide-field spectroscopic surveys in the near- and mid-infrared wavelength ranges. This paper describes specifications of the IRC spectrograph and its in-orbit performance.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication on PAS