Astronomical coronagraphy with high-order adaptive optics systems

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Space surveillance systems have recently been developed that exploit high order adaptive optics systems to take diffraction limited images in visible light on 4 meter class telescopes. Most astronomical targets are faint, thus driving astronomical AO systems towards larger subapertures, and thus longer observing wavelengths for diffraction limited imaging at moderate Strehl ratio. There is, however, a particular niche that can be exploited by turning these visible light space surveillance systems to astronomical use at infrared wavelengths. At the longer wavelengths, the Strehl ratio rises dramatically, thus placing more light into the diffracted Airy pattern compared to the atmospheric halo. A Lyot coronagraph can be used to suppress the diffracted light from an on axis star, and observe faint companions and debris disks around nearby, bright stars. These very high contrast objects can only be observed with much higher order adaptive optics systems than are presently available to the astronomical community. We describe simulations of high order adaptive optics coronagraphs, and outline a project to deploy an astronomical coronagraph at the Air Force AEOS facility at the Maui Space Surveillance System.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: