Implementation and characterization of the vector vortex coronagraph on the SEAL testbed

Ashai Moreno; Vincent Chambouleyron; Rebecca M. Jensen-Clem; Daren Dillon; Phil M. Hinz; Bruce Macintosh

doi:10.1117/12.3020445

27 August 2024 Implementation and characterization of the vector vortex coronagraph on the SEAL testbed

Ashai Moreno, Vincent Chambouleyron, Rebecca M. Jensen-Clem, Daren Dillon, Phil M. Hinz, Bruce Macintosh

Proceedings Volume 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX; 1309746 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020445
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2024, Yokohama, Japan

Conference Poster

Abstract

The Santa Cruz Extreme AO Lab (SEAL) testbed is an optical bench meant to design and develop new wavefront control techniques for high-contrast imaging for segmented telescopes. These techniques allow for astronomical efficiency in exoplanet imaging and characterization. SEAL consists of several wavefront sensors (WFS) and deformable mirrors (DM) that are currently performing techniques like predictive control or non-linear reconstruction. In this paper, we present the implementation and characterization of a new coronagraphic branch on SEAL and assess the contrast limitations in the testbed. For our coronagraphic branch, we used a vector vortex coronagraph which has high contrast performance. The W. M. Keck Observatory also uses a vortex coronagraph, allowing us to compare the limitations with our own coronagraph. We relied on the testbed and simulations of the vortex coronagraph to compare performance with expected ones. To create a more reliable simulation, we also injected in our numerical model data collected by a Zernike Wavefront sensor (ZWFS) used to perform fine wavefront sensing on the bench. Now that the coronagraphic branch is aligned on SEAL, we will be able to use contrast as a metric for the performance of wavefront control methods on the bench.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Ashai Moreno, Vincent Chambouleyron, Rebecca M. Jensen-Clem, Daren Dillon, Phil M. Hinz, and Bruce Macintosh "Implementation and characterization of the vector vortex coronagraph on the SEAL testbed", Proc. SPIE 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX, 1309746 (27 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020445

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