Low-order aberration sensitivity of an optical vortex coronagraph

Area of Science:

• Astronomy
• Astrophysics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Directly imaging terrestrial exoplanets is challenging due to the overwhelming glare of their host stars.
• Current coronagraphic techniques face limitations in performance and sensitivity, particularly with optical aberrations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new high-contrast imaging technique for directly detecting light from terrestrial planets.
• To evaluate the technique's robustness against low-order optical aberrations.
• To compare its performance against a band-limited Lyot coronagraph.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a vortex mask with a topological charge of m = 5 for high-contrast imaging.
• Employed direct light measurement from a terrestrial planet.
• Assessed the technique's sensitivity to low-order aberrations.
• Benchmarked performance against a band-limited Lyot coronagraph.

Main Results:

• The vortex mask technique successfully enabled direct measurement of planetary light.
• The method demonstrated relative insensitivity to low-order optical aberrations.
• Performance was quantitatively compared to a band-limited Lyot coronagraph.

Conclusions:

• The developed vortex mask coronagraphy offers a promising approach for detecting terrestrial exoplanets.
• Its robustness to aberrations suggests potential for improved performance in ground-based and space-based observatories.
• This technique represents a significant advancement in the search for Earth-like worlds.