Abstract
Large ground-based telescopes (ELT, TMT, GMT) will have the angular resolution and sensitivity to image and characterize (spectroscopy) rocky planets in the habitable zones of nearby stars. The nearest M-type stars are particularly attractive targets thanks to moderate reflected light contrast levels and a large number of potential targets. Wavefront control and residual starlight calibration are the most significant challenges to be addressed, requiring performance levels beyond what current on-sky AO systems deliver. Extreme-AO systems will need to deliver 1e5 raw contrast within a few diffractive limits from the optical axis to allow for direct imaging of habitable planets. Differential detection techniques relying on spectroscopy, polarization and/or coherence will then be employed to separate planet signal from speckle noise. We describe technical solutions to meet the ExAO demands for direct imaging of habitable planets with ELTs.
Original language | English (US) |
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State | Published - 2019 |
Event | 6th International Conference on Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes, AO4ELT 2019 - Quebec City, Canada Duration: Jun 9 2019 → Jun 14 2019 |
Conference
Conference | 6th International Conference on Adaptive Optics for Extremely Large Telescopes, AO4ELT 2019 |
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Country/Territory | Canada |
City | Quebec City |
Period | 6/9/19 → 6/14/19 |
Keywords
- Adaptive optics
- Coronagraphy
- Exoplanets
- High contrast imaging
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Space and Planetary Science
- Control and Systems Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Instrumentation