High-Contrast Testbeds for Future Space-Based Direct Imaging Exoplanet Missions

Johan Mazoyer; Pierre Baudoz; Ruslan Belikov; Brendan Crill; Kevin Fogarty; Raphael Galicher; Tyler Groff; Olivier Guyon; Roser Juanola-Parramon; Jeremy Kasdin; Lucie Leboulleux; Jorge Llop Sayson; Dimitri Mawet; Camilo Mejia Prada; Bertrand Mennesson; Mamadou N'Diaye; Marshall Perrin; Laurent Pueyo; Aki Roberge; Garreth Ruane; Eugene Serabyn; Stuart Shaklan; Nicholas Siegler; Dan Sirbu; Remi Soummer; Chris Stark; John Trauger; Neil Zimmerman

arXiv · 1907.09508

High-Contrast Testbeds for Future Space-Based Direct Imaging Exoplanet Missions

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Abstract

Instrumentation techniques in the field of direct imaging of exoplanets have greatly advanced over the last two decades. Two of the four NASA-commissioned large concept studies involve a high-contrast instrument for the imaging and spectral characterization of exo-Earths from space: LUVOIR and HabEx. This whitepaper describes the status of 8 optical testbeds in the US and France currently in operation to experimentally validate the necessary technologies to image exo-Earths from space. They explore two complementary axes of research: (i) coronagraph designs and manufacturing and (ii) active wavefront correction methods and technologies. Several instrument architectures are currently being analyzed in parallel to provide more degrees of freedom for designing the future coronagraphic instruments. The necessary level of performance has already been demonstrated in-laboratory for clear off-axis telescopes (HabEx-like) and important efforts are currently in development to reproduce this accomplishment on segmented and/or on-axis telescopes (LUVOIR-like) over the next two years.

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Johan Mazoyer, Pierre Baudoz, Ruslan Belikov, Brendan Crill, Kevin Fogarty, Raphael Galicher, Tyler Groff, Olivier Guyon, Roser Juanola-Parramon, Jeremy Kasdin, Lucie Leboulleux, Jorge Llop Sayson, Dimitri Mawet, Camilo Mejia Prada, Bertrand Mennesson, Mamadou N'Diaye, Marshall Perrin, Laurent Pueyo, Aki Roberge, Garreth Ruane, Eugene Serabyn, Stuart Shaklan, Nicholas Siegler, Dan Sirbu, Remi Soummer, Chris Stark, John Trauger, Neil Zimmerman. 2019-07-22. High-Contrast Testbeds for Future Space-Based Direct Imaging Exoplanet Missions. https://arxiv.org/abs/1907.09508

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