36 research outputs found
Science with EPICS, the E-ELT planet finder
EPICS is the proposed planet finder for the European Extremely Large Telescope. EPICS is a high contrast imager based on a high performing extreme adaptive optics system, a diffraction suppression module, and two scientific instruments: an Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) for the near infrared (0.95-1.65 μm), and a differential polarization imager (E-POL). Both these instruments should allow imaging and characterization of planets shining in reflected light, possibly down to Earth-size. A few high interesting science cases are presente
FFREE: a Fresnel-FRee Experiment for EPICS, the EELT planets imager
The purpose of FFREE - the new optical bench devoted to experiments on
high-contrast imaging at LAOG - consists in the validation of algorithms based
on off-line calibration techniques and adaptive optics (AO) respectively for
the wavefront measurement and its compensation. The aim is the rejection of the
static speckles pattern arising in a focal plane after a diffraction
suppression system (based on apodization or coronagraphy) by wavefront
pre-compensation. To this aim, FFREE has been optimized to minimize Fresnel
propagation over a large near infrared (NIR) bandwidth in a way allowing
efficient rejection up to the AO control radius, it stands then as a
demonstrator for the future implementation of the optics that will be common to
the scientific instrumentation installed on EPICS.Comment: 12 pages, 15 figures, Proceeding 7736120 of the SPIE Conference
"Adaptive Optics Systems II", monday 28 June 2010, San Diego, California, US
Review of small-angle coronagraphic techniques in the wake of ground-based second-generation adaptive optics systems
Small-angle coronagraphy is technically and scientifically appealing because
it enables the use of smaller telescopes, allows covering wider wavelength
ranges, and potentially increases the yield and completeness of circumstellar
environment - exoplanets and disks - detection and characterization campaigns.
However, opening up this new parameter space is challenging. Here we will
review the four posts of high contrast imaging and their intricate interactions
at very small angles (within the first 4 resolution elements from the star).
The four posts are: choice of coronagraph, optimized wavefront control,
observing strategy, and post-processing methods. After detailing each of the
four foundations, we will present the lessons learned from the 10+ years of
operations of zeroth and first-generation adaptive optics systems. We will then
tentatively show how informative the current integration of second-generation
adaptive optics system is, and which lessons can already be drawn from this
fresh experience. Then, we will review the current state of the art, by
presenting world record contrasts obtained in the framework of technological
demonstrations for space-based exoplanet imaging and characterization mission
concepts. Finally, we will conclude by emphasizing the importance of the
cross-breeding between techniques developed for both ground-based and
space-based projects, which is relevant for future high contrast imaging
instruments and facilities in space or on the ground.Comment: 21 pages, 7 figure
SPICES: Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems
SPICES (Spectro-Polarimetric Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanetary
Systems) is a five-year M-class mission proposed to ESA Cosmic Vision. Its
purpose is to image and characterize long-period extrasolar planets and
circumstellar disks in the visible (450 - 900 nm) at a spectral resolution of
about 40 using both spectroscopy and polarimetry. By 2020/22, present and
near-term instruments will have found several tens of planets that SPICES will
be able to observe and study in detail. Equipped with a 1.5 m telescope, SPICES
can preferentially access exoplanets located at several AUs (0.5-10 AU) from
nearby stars (25 pc) with masses ranging from a few Jupiter masses to Super
Earths (2 Earth radii, 10 M) as well as circumstellar
disks as faint as a few times the zodiacal light in the Solar System
The MAORY first-light adaptive optics module for E-ELT
The MAORY adaptive optics module is part of the first light instrumentation suite for the E-ELT. The MAORY project phase B is going to start soon. This paper contains a system-level overview of the current instrument design
MAORY for ELT: preliminary design overview
MAORY is one of the approved instruments for the European Extremely Large Telescope. It is an adaptive optics module, enabling high-angular resolution observations in the near infrared by real-time compensation of the wavefront distortions due to atmospheric turbulence and other disturbances such as wind action on the telescope. An overview of the instrument design is given in this paper
Compared sensitivities of VLT, JWST and ELT for direct exoplanet detection in nearby stellar moving groups
In the context of exoplanet detection, a large majority of the 400 detected exoplanets have been found by indirect methods. Today, progress in the field of high contrast and angular resolution imaging has allowed direct images of several exoplanetary systems to be taken (cf. HR 8799, Fomalhaut and β Pic).[SUP]1-4[/SUP] In the near future, several new instruments are going to dramatically improve our sensitivity to exoplanet detection. Among these, SPHERE (Spectro Polarimetric High contrast Exoplanet REsearch) at the VLT, MIRI (Mid Infra-Red Instrument) onboard JWST and EPICS at the ELT will be equipped with coronagraphs to reveal faint objects in the vicinity of nearby stars. We made use of the Lyon group (COND) evolutionary models of young (sub-)stellar objects and exoplanets to compare the sensitivities of these different instruments using their estimated coronagraphic profiles. From this comparison, we present a catalogue of targets which are particularly well suited for the different instruments
Improving the performance of a pyramid wavefront sensor with modal sensitivity compensation
International audienceNot Availabl
Comparison between a model-based and a conventional pyramid sensor reconstructor
International audienceA model of a nonmodulated pyramid wavefront sensor (P-WFS) based on Fourier optics has been presented. Linearizations of the model represented as Jacobian matrices are used to improve the P-WFS phase estimates. It has been shown in simulations that a linear approximation of the P-WFS is sufficient in closed-loop adaptive optics. Also a method to compute model-based synthetic P-WFS command matrices is shown, and its performance is compared to the conventional calibration. It was observed that in poor visibility the new calibration is better than the conventional