Modern Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes (GSMT) like the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction depend heavily on Adaptive Optics (AO) systems to correct for atmospheric turbulence. To be able to correct wider fields of view (FoV), Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) systems were introduced, which use multiple guide stars to obtain an almost uniform correction over the FoV. However, a residual blur remains in the astronmical images due to the time delay stemming from the wavefront sensor (WFS) integration time and temporal response of the deformable mirror(s) (DM). This results in a blur which can be mathematically described by a convolution of the true image with the point spread function (PSF). Due to the nature of the atmosphere and its correction, the PSF is spatially varying.
In this paper, we present an algorithm for MCAO PSF reconstruction adapted to the needs of GSMTs in a storage efficient way. In particular, the PSF reconstruction algorithm for Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics (SCAO) from [40] is combined with an algorithm for atmospheric tomography from [33] to obtain a direction dependent reconstruction of the post-AO PSF.
Results obtained in an end-to-end simulation tool show qualitatively good reconstruction of the PSF compared to the PSF calculated directly from the simulated incoming wavefront. Furthermore, the used algorithm has a reasonable runtime and memory consumption.
The demand for higher resolution telescopes leads to segmented primary mirrors which need to be phased for operation. A phasing sensor applying a wavelength sweep technique provides a large capture range without modulating the position of individual mirror segments. This technique offers the potential to monitor the phasing state of a segmented telescope in parallel to the science observations. We evaluate the performance of the wavelength sweep technique using a Zernike phase contrast sensor for coarse phasing. Tests results on a dedicated bench show 112 nm rms precision. With the help of a s…
The Simultaneous Operation of a Controllable Segmented Primary Mirror and Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics System part 1 -- Design Concept and Sensitivity Analysis
We study the impact of the loss of axial symmetry around the optical axis on the polarimetric properties of a telescope with segmented primary mirror when each segment is present in a different aging stage. The different oxidation stage of each segment as they are substituted in time leads to non-negligible crosstalk terms. This effect is wavelength dependent and it is mainly determined by the properties of the reflecting material. For an aluminum coating, the worst polarimetric behavior due to oxidation is found for the blue part of the visible. Contrarily, dust -- as modeled in this work -- …
Impact of segmented deformable mirrors on high-contrast testbeds for exoplanet imaging with future large space telescopes: contrast stability assessment on the HiCAT bench
Université Côte d’Azur（蔚蓝海岸大学）；Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur（蔚蓝海岸天文台）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；Laboratoire Lagrange（拉格朗日实验室）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Max Planck Institute for Astronomy（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；University of California, Santa Cruz（加州大学圣克鲁兹分校）；LIRA, Observatoire de Paris（巴黎天文台LIRA）；Thales Alenia Space（泰雷兹阿莱尼亚太空公司）；NASA Goddard Space Flight Center（美国宇航局戈达德太空飞行中心）；Johns Hopkins University（约翰斯·霍普金斯大学）；Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院喷气推进实验室）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）
A suite of science instruments is critical to any high contrast imaging facility, as it defines the science capabilities and observing modes available. SCExAO uses a modular approach which allows for state-of-the-art visitor modules to be tested within an observatory environment on an 8-m class telescope. This allows for rapid prototyping of new and innovative imaging techniques that otherwise take much longer in traditional instrument design. With the aim of maturing science modules for an advanced high contrast imager on an giant segmented mirror telescopes (GSMTs) that will be capable of im…
This paper presents the optical design of a multi-spectral piston sensor suitable to co-phasing giant segmented mirrors equipping the Future Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). The general theory of the sensor is described in detail and numerical simulations have been carried out, demonstrating that direct piston and tip-tilt measurements are feasible within accuracies respectively close to 20 nm and 10 nano-radians. Those values are compatible with the co-phasing requirements, although the method seems to be perturbed by uncorrected atmospheric seeing
Long-term stability of deformable mirrors (DM) is a critical performance requirement for instruments requiring open-loop corrections. The effects of temperature changes in the DM performance are equally critical for such instruments. This paper investigates the long-term stability of three different Iris AO PTT111 DMs that were calibrated at different times ranging from 13 months to nearly 29 months prior to subsequent testing. Performance testing showed that only a small increase in positioning errors occurred from the initial calibration date to the test dates. The increases in errors ranged…
Coronagraph instruments on future space telescopes will enable the direct detection and characterization of Earth-like exoplanets around Sun-like stars for the first time. The quest for the optimal optical coronagraph designs has made rapid progress in recent years thanks to the Segmented Coronagraph Design and Analysis (SCDA) initiative led by the Exoplanet Exploration Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As a result, several types of high-performance designs have emerged that make use of dual deformable mirrors to (1) correct for optical aberrations and (2) suppress diffracted starli…
The latest high-performance telescopes for deep space observation employ very large primary mirrors that are made of smaller segments, like the JWST which employs monolithic beryllium hexagonal segments. A very promising development stage of these systems is to make them active and to operate on their reflective surfaces to change their shape and compensate for aberrations as well as to perform a very precise alignment. This is possible by employing a reference body that stores actuators to modify the shape of the shell, like in the SPLATT project where voice coil actuators are used. However, …
Future Extremely Large Telescopes will adopt segmented primary mirrors with several hundreds of segments. Cophasing of the segments together is essential to reach high wavefront quality. The phasing sensor must be able to maintain very high phasing accuracy during the observations, while being able to phase segments dephased by several micrometers. The Zernike phase contrast sensor has been demonstrated on-sky at the Very Large Telescope. We present the multi-wavelength scheme that has been implemented to extend the capture range from \pmlambda/2 on the wavefront to many micrometers, demonstra…
In astronomy and microscopy, distortions in the wavefront affect the dynamic range of a high contrast imaging system. These aberrations are either imposed by a turbulent medium such as the atmosphere, by static or thermal aberrations in the optical path, or by imperfectly phased subapertures in a segmented mirror. Active and adaptive optics (AO), consisting of a wavefront sensor and a deformable mirror, are employed to address this problem. Nevertheless, the non-common-path between the wavefront sensor and the science camera leads to persistent quasi-static speckles that are difficult to calib…
The next generation of large ground- and space-based optical telescopes will have segmented primary mirrors. Co-phasing the segments requires a sensitive wavefront sensor capable of measuring phase discontinuities. The Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) is a passive wavefront sensor that has been demonstrated to sense segmented-mirror piston, tip, and tilt with picometer precision in laboratory settings. We present the first on-sky results of an adaptive optics fed ZWFS on a segmented aperture telescope, W.M. Keck Observatory's Keck II. Within the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) light…
Mid-order wavefront control for exoplanet imaging: preliminary characterization of the segmented deformable mirror and Zernike wavefront sensor on HiCAT
We investigate the focal plane wavefront sensing technique, known as Phase Diversity, at the scientific focal plane of a segmented mirror telescope with an adaptive optics (AO) system. We specifically consider an optical system imaging a point source in the context of (i) an artificial source within the telescope structure and (ii) from AO-corrected images of a bright star. From our simulations, we reliably disentangle segmented telescope phasing errors from non-common path aberrations (NCPA) for both a theoretical source and on-sky, AO-corrected images where we have simulated the Keck/NIRC2 s…
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) need imaging optics with large apertures to map the faint Cherenkov light emitted in extensive air showers onto their image sensors. Segmented reflectors fulfill these needs using mass produced and light weight mirror facets. However, as the overall image is the sum of the individual mirror facet images, alignment is important. Here we present a method to determine the mirror facet positions on a segmented reflector in a very direct way. Our method reconstructs the mirror facet positions from photographs and a laser distance meter measurement wh…
Direct imaging of Earth-like planets from space requires dedicated observatories, combining large segmented apertures with instruments and techniques such as coronagraphs, wavefront sensors, and wavefront control in order to reach the high contrast of 10^10 that is required. The complexity of these systems would be increased by the segmentation of the primary mirror, which allows for the larger diameters necessary to image Earth-like planets but also introduces specific patterns in the image due to the pupil shape and segmentation and making high-contrast imaging more challenging. Among these …
3.5-meter Segmented-Mirror Robotic Space Telescope Mission White Paper IV. Key Scientific Mission: Solar-System Small Bodies and Planetary Defense
Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高等研究院）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Ulsan（蔚山科学技术院）；University of Science and Technology（科学技术联合大学院大学）；Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Korea National University of Education（韩国国立教育大学）；Seoul National University（首尔国立大学）；Yonsei University（延世大学）
Keck Observatory as an HWO Testbed: validating wavefront sensing and control schemes on a large segmented aperture in parallel with high-contrast science
Context: The detection and characterization of Earth-like exoplanets (exoEarths) from space requires exquisite wavefront stability at contrast levels of $10^{-10}$. On segmented telescopes in particular, aberrations induced by cophasing errors lead to a light leakage through the coronagraph, deteriorating the imaging performance. These need to be limited in order to facilitate the direct imaging of exoEarths. Aims: We perform a laboratory validation of an analytical tolerancing model that allows us to determine wavefront error requirements in the $10^{-6} - 10^{-8}$ contrast regime, for a segm…
Polarization aberrations in next-generation Giant Segmented Mirror Telescopes (GSMTs). II. Influence of segment-to-segment coating variations on high-contrast imaging and polarimetry
The segmentation of the telescope pupil (by spiders & the segmented M4) create areas of phase isolated by the width of the spiders on the wavefront sensor (WFS), breaking the spatial continuity of the wavefront. The poor sensitivity of the Pyramid WFS (PWFS) to differential piston leads to badly seen and therefore uncontrollable differential pistons. In close loop operation, differential pistons between segments will settle around integer values of the average sensing wavelength. The differential pistons typically range from one to ten times the sensing wavelength and vary rapidly over time, l…
The performance of a wide-field adaptive optics system depends on input design parameters. Here we investigate the performance of a multi-conjugate adaptive optics system design for the European Extremely Large Telescope, using an end-to-end Monte-Carlo adaptive optics simulation tool, DASP. We consider parameters such as the number of laser guide stars, sodium layer depth, wavefront sensor pixel scale, number of deformable mirrors, mirror conjugation and actuator pitch. We provide potential areas where costs savings can be made, and investigate trade-offs between performance and cost. We conc…
3.5-meter Segmented-Mirror Robotic Space Telescope Mission White Paper II. Key Scientific Mission: Wide-Field Cosmology and Galaxy Evolution
Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高等研究院）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Ulsan（蔚山科学技术院）；University of Science and Technology（科学技术联合大学院大学）；Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Korea National University of Education（韩国国立教育大学）；Seoul National University（首尔国立大学）；Yonsei University（延世大学）
3.5-meter Segmented-Mirror Robotic Space Telescope Mission White Paper I. Overall Architecture and Scientific Mission
Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Ulsan University of Science and Technology（蔚山科学技术大学）；Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高等研究院）；Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Korea National University of Education（韩国国立教育大学）；Seoul National University（首尔国立大学）；Yonsei University（延世大学）
Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) need imaging optics with large apertures and high image intensities to map the faint Cherenkov light emitted from cosmic ray air showers onto their image sensors. Segmented reflectors fulfill these needs, and composed from mass production mirror facets they are inexpensive and lightweight. However, as the overall image is a superposition of the individual facet images, alignment remains a challenge. Here we present a simple, yet extendable method, to align a segmented reflector using its Bokeh. Bokeh alignment does not need a star or good weathe…
Measurements of the frequency with which short-period planets occur around main sequence stars allows a direct prediction of the number and types of such planets that will be amenable to characterization by high-contrast instruments on future giant segmented- mirror telescopes (GSMTs). Adopting conservative assumptions, I predict of order 10 planets with radii R_P=1-8 R_Earth and equilibrium temperatures <400 K should be accessible around stars within 8 pc of the Sun. These numbers are roughly the same for both near-infrared observations of scattered starlight and mid-infrared observations of …
3.5-meter Segmented-Mirror Robotic Space Telescope Mission White Paper V. Key Scientific Mission: Compact-Object Time-Domain Science
Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高等研究院）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Ulsan（蔚山大学）；University of Science and Technology（科学技术联合大学院大学）；Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Korea National University of Education（韩国国立教育大学）；Seoul National University（首尔国立大学）；Yonsei University（延世大学）
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Optical Simulation Testbed (JOST) is a tabletop workbench to study aspects of wavefront sensing and control for a segmented space telescope, including both commissioning and maintenance activities. JOST is complementary to existing optomechanical testbeds for JWST (e.g. the Ball Aerospace Testbed Telescope, TBT) given its compact scale and flexibility, ease of use, and colocation at the JWST Science & Operations Center. We have developed an optical design that reproduces the physics of JWST's three-mirror anastigmat using three aspheric lenses; it provides…
We propose the segmented Large Millimeter Telescope (LMT/GTM),as the largest spatial light modulator capable of producing vortex beams of integer topological charge. This observing mode could be applied for direct exoplanet searches in the millimeter or submillimeter regimes. We studied the stability of the vortex structure against aberrations and diffraction effects inherent to the size and segmented nature of the collector mirror. In the presence of low order aberrations the focal distribution of the system remains stable. Our results show that these effects depend on the topological charge …
Analytical decomposition of Zernike and hexagonal modes over an hexagonal segmented optical aperture
ONERA The French Aerospace Laboratory（法国航空航天实验室）；Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, CNES, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM)（艾克斯马赛大学）；Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange（蔚蓝海岸大学）
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation very-high energy gamma-ray air-shower Cherenkov observatory. CTA will consist of many segmented-mirror telescopes of three different diameters, placed in two arrays, one in the Northern hemisphere and one in the South, thus covering the whole sky. The total number of mirror tiles will be of the order of 10000, corresponding to a reflective area of ~10^4 m^2. The Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Tübingen is developing procedures to coat glass-substrate-based mirror tiles, is participating to the CTA mirror prototype testing, …
Precision wavefront control on future segmented-aperture space telescopes presents significant challenges, particularly in the context of high-contrast exoplanet direct imaging. We present a new wavefront control architecture that translates the ground-based artificial guide star concept to space with a laser source aboard a second spacecraft, formation flying within the telescope field-of-view. We describe the motivating problem of mirror segment motion and develop wavefront sensing requirements as a function of guide star magnitude and segment motion power spectrum. Several sample cases with…
Segment-level thermal sensitivity analysis for exo-Earth coronagraphy with segmented space telescopes
University of Massachusetts（马萨诸塞大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；LIRA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CY Cergy Paris Université（巴黎天文台，PSL大学，索邦大学，巴黎西岱大学，CY塞尔吉巴黎大学）；Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute（伦斯勒理工学院）；BAE Systems, Space & Mission Systems Inc.（BAE系统公司，空间与任务系统公司）；L3Harris Technologies, Inc.（L3哈里斯技术公司）
MarcoPolo-R is a medium-class space mission proposed for the 2015-2025 ESA Cosmic Vision Program with primary goal to return to Earth an unaltered sample from a primitive near-Earth asteroid (NEA). Among the proposed instruments on board, its narrow-angle camera (NAC) should be able to image the candidate object with spatial resolution of 3 mm per pixel at 200 m from its surface. The camera should also be able to support the lander descent operations by imaging the target from several distances in order to locate a suitable place for the landing. Hence a refocusing system is requested to accom…
Current state-of-the-art high contrast imaging instruments take advantage of a number of elegant coronagraph designs to suppress starlight and image nearby faint objects, such as exoplanets and circumstellar disks. The ideal performance and complexity of the optical systems depends strongly on the shape of the telescope aperture. Unfortunately, large primary mirrors tend to be segmented and have various obstructions, which limit the performance of most conventional coronagraph designs. We present a new family of vortex coronagraphs with numerically-optimized gray-scale apodizers that provide t…
The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next generation Cherenkov telescope facility. It will consist of a large number of segmented-mirror telescopes of three different diameters, placed in two locations, one in the northern and one in the southern hemisphere, thus covering the whole sky. The total number of mirror tiles will be on the order of 10,000, corresponding to a reflective area of ~10^4 m^2. The Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics in Tübingen (IAAT) is currently developing mirror control alignment mechanics, electronics, and software optimized for the medium sized telescopes.…
Cherenkov Telescopes are equipped with optical dishes of large diameter -- in general based on segmented mirrors -- with typical angular resolution of a few arc-minutes. To evaluate the mirror's quality specific metrological systems are required that possibly take into account the environmental conditions in which typically these telescopes operate (in open air without dome protection). For this purpose a new facility for the characterization of mirrors has been developed at the labs of the Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera of the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics. The facility allows…
Searching for nearby exoplanets with direct imaging is one of the major scientific drivers for both space and ground-based programs. While the second generation of dedicated high-contrast instruments on 8-m class telescopes is about to greatly expand the sample of directly imaged planets, exploring the planetary parameter space to hitherto-unseen regions ideally down to Terrestrial planets is a major technological challenge for the forthcoming decades. This requires increasing spatial resolution and significantly improving high contrast imaging capabilities at close angular separations. Segmen…
3.5-meter Segmented-Mirror Robotic Space Telescope Mission White Paper III. Key Scientific Mission: Exoplanet Science with a Coronagraph
Korea Institute for Advanced Study（韩国高级科学研究院）；Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute（韩国天文学与空间科学研究所）；University of Ulsan（蔚山科学技术院）；University of Science and Technology（科学技术联合大学院大学）；Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）；Pusan National University（釜山国立大学）；Korea National University of Education（韩国国立教育大学）；Seoul National University（首尔国立大学）；Yonsei University（延世大学）
High-contrast imager for complex aperture telescopes (HiCAT): 8. Dark zone demonstration with simultaneous closed-loop low-order wavefront sensing and control
This paper introduces an analytical method to calculate segment-level wavefront error tolerances in order to enable the detection of faint extra-solar planets using segmented telescopes in space. This study provides a full treatment of spatially uncorrelated segment phasing errors for segmented telescope coronagraphy, which has so far only been approached using ad hoc Monte-Carlo simulations. Instead of describing the wavefront tolerance globally for all segments, our method produces spatially dependent requirements. We relate the statistical mean contrast in the coronagraph dark hole to the s…
The imaging and spectroscopy of habitable worlds will require large-aperture space-based telescopes, to increase the collecting area and the angular resolution. These large telescopes will necessarily use segmented primaries to fit in a rocket. However, these massively segmented mirrors make high-contrast performance very difficult to achieve and stabilize, compared to more common monolithic primaries. Despite space telescopes operating in a friendlier environment than ground-based telescopes, remaining vibrations and resonant modes on the segments can still deteriorate the performance. In thi…
The Astro2020 decadal survey recommended an infrared, optical, ultra-violet (IR/O/UV) telescope with a $\sim$6~m inscribed diameter and equipped with a coronagraph instrument to directly image exoEarths in the habitable zone of their host star. A telescope of such size may need to be segmented to be folded and then carried by current launch vehicles. However, a segmented primary mirror introduces the potential for additional mid spatial frequency optical wavefront instabilities during the science operations that would degrade the coronagraph performance. A coronagraph instrument with a wavefro…
MAORY is the adaptive optics module for ELT providing two gravity invariant ports with the same optical quality for two different client instruments. It enable high angular resolution observations in the near infrared over a large field of view (~1 arcmin2 ) by real time compensation of the wavefront distortions due to atmospheric turbulence. Wavefront sensing is performed by laser and natural guide stars while the wavefront sensor compensation is performed by an adaptive deformable mirror in MAORY which works together with the telescope's adaptive and tip tilt mirrors M4 and M5 respectively.
The Large Size Telescope (LST) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is designed to achieve a threshold energy of 20 GeV. The LST optics is composed of one parabolic primary mirror 23 m in diameter and 28 m focal length. The reflector dish is segmented in 198 hexagonal, 1.51 m flat to flat mirrors. The total effective reflective area, taking into account the shadow of the mechanical structure, is about 368 m$^2$. The mirrors have a sandwich structure consisting of a glass sheet of 2.7 mm thickness, aluminum honeycomb of 60 mm thickness, and another glass sheet on the rear, and have a total we…
Optimal Design of Shaped Pupil Lyot Coronagraph for China's Large Segmented Telescope
College of Future Technology, Peking University（北京大学未来技术学院）；Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University（北京大学前沿交叉学科研究院）；National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University（北京大学国家生物医学成像中心）；Department of Astronomy, Xiamen University（厦门大学天文学系）；State Key Laboratory of Dark Matter Physics, Tsung-Dao Lee Institute & School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学物理与天文学院李政道研究所暗物质物理全国重点实验室）；Department of Astronomy, School of Physics, Peking University（北京大学物理学院天文学系）；The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Peking University（北京大学科维理天文与天体物理研究所）；CAS Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院国家天文台光学天文重点实验室）
Tradeoff between segment density and IWA for high-contrast imaging of exoplanets with a large segmented space mission
Univ. Grenoble Alpes（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；IPAG（宇宙物理学与行星学研究所）；Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA)（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；Space Telescope Science Institute（太空望远镜科学研究所）
Segmented telescopes are a possibility to enable large-aperture space telescopes for the direct imaging and spectroscopy of habitable worlds. However, the complexity of their aperture geometry, due to the central obstruction, support structures and segment gaps, makes high-contrast imaging challenging. The High-contrast Imager for Complex Aperture Telescopes (HiCAT) testbed was designed to study and develop solutions for such telescope pupils using wavefront control and coronagraphic starlight suppression. The testbed design has the flexibility to enable studies with increasing complexity for …
