Application of super smooth optics to extra-solar planet detectionThe observational constraints on direct detection of extrasolar planets around nearby stars are defined. The design of an instrument capable of meeting these goals requires the efficient reduction of diffracted and scattered light by about three orders of magnitude below the airy wings of the unapodized aperture. The diffraction reduction is achieved through the high-efficiency coronagraph, which uses Gaussian occulting masks in the first focus to concentrate better diffracted light in the pupil plane. Laboratory experiments confirm this high efficiency to the limits set by the experimental setup. Scattering due to midspatial scale figure error in the mirrors must also be reduced to a comparable level.
Document ID
19900051977
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Terrile, Richard J. (JPL Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ftaclas, Christ (Perkin-Elmer Corp. Space Sciences Div., Danbury, CT, United States)