Active coronagraphy is deemed to play a key role for the next generation of
high-contrast instruments, notably in order to deal with large segmented
mirrors that might exhibit time-dependent pupil merit function, caused by
missing or defective segments. To this purpose, we recently introduced a new
technological framework called digital adaptive coronagraphy (DAC), making use
of liquid-crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs) display panels operating as
active focal-plane phase mask coronagraphs. Here, we first review the latest
contrast performance, measured in laboratory conditions with monochromatic
visible light, and describe a few potential pathways to improve SLM
coronagraphic nulling in the future. We then unveil a few unique capabilities
of SLM-based DAC that were recently, or are currently in the process of being,
demonstrated in our laboratory, including NCPA wavefront sensing,
aperture-matched adaptive phase masks, coronagraphic nulling of multiple star
systems, and coherent differential imaging (CDI).Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Proceedings of the SPIE, paper
10706-9
