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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves

Published on: May 10, 2020

Common-path lateral-shearing nulling interferometry with a Savart plate for exoplanet detection.

Naoshi Murakami¹, Naoshi Baba

¹Division of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8628, Japan. nmurakami@eng.hokudai.ac.jp

|September 18, 2010

Summary

We developed a novel interferometer for directly detecting exoplanets. This instrument uses a Savart plate for stable, achromatic starlight nulling, achieving high extinction levels crucial for finding distant worlds.

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Area of Science:

* Astronomy and Astrophysics
* Optical Engineering

Background:

* Direct detection of exoplanets is challenging due to the overwhelming brightness of host stars.
* Existing nulling interferometers often struggle with stability and achromatic performance.

Purpose of the Study:

* To propose and demonstrate a common-path lateral-shearing nulling interferometer for exoplanet detection.
* To achieve high extinction ratios for starlight, enabling sensitive exoplanet observation.

Main Methods:

* Employed a Savart plate between crossed polarizers to create lateral shear for achromatic nulling interference.
* Constructed a double-shearing interferometer with two Savart plates for orthogonal x and y shears.
* Utilized a broadband light source (Δλ/λ(0)=0.33) for laboratory demonstration.

Main Results:

* Achieved extinction levels of 4 × 10⁻⁴ at peak intensity.
* Demonstrated a remarkable extinction level of 4 × 10⁻⁷ at 10λ(0)/D(L), indicating significant starlight suppression.
* Verified the interferometer's stability and achromatic properties.

Conclusions:

* The proposed common-path lateral-shearing nulling interferometer is a promising technology for direct exoplanet detection.
* The demonstrated high extinction ratios suggest potential for discovering faint exoplanets.
* The system's stability and achromatic nature are advantageous for astronomical observations.