Development of MKID Instrumentation for Exoplanet Direct Imaging

Development of MKID Instrumentation for Exoplanet Direct Imaging PDF Author: Rupert Dodkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description

Development of MKID Instrumentation for Exoplanet Direct Imaging

Development of MKID Instrumentation for Exoplanet Direct Imaging PDF Author: Rupert Dodkins
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Get Book Here

Book Description


The Study of Extrasolar Planetary Systems Through Direct Imaging and Infrared Instrumentation

The Study of Extrasolar Planetary Systems Through Direct Imaging and Infrared Instrumentation PDF Author: Ronald Alexander Lopez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Direct imaging and spectroscopy is fundamental to understanding the composition, evolution, and formation of exoplanets, and as such these techniques have been given high priority in the 2020 Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics. At its heart, the field of exoplanet science has been driven by advancements in technology and data reduction methods. This thesis focuses on direct imaging techniques, including their applications to circumstellar debris disks and the instrumentation required therein, addressing the following questions: What can we learn about the formation and dynamical history of planetary systems through direct imaging of warped debris disks? How can we improve upon our ability to detect planets and disks through advancements in astronomical instrumentation? To date, observers have found several debris disks containing asymmetries and warps. Dynamical interactions between planetesimals, dust, radiation, and possibly planets work in tandem to shape dust into distinct morphologies. I discuss the morphological characteristics of the edge-on debris disk around HD 110058 as seen in infrared scattered light by the Gemini Planet Imager, and attempt to probe the dynamical history of the system. The presence of an asymmetric warp in the disk at a radius of 0.35 arcseconds ($\sim$38 AU) is revealed in PSF-subtracted total-intensity images, reminiscent of the disk around $\beta$ Pictoris. We discuss the results of scattered-light modeling intended to constrain the three-dimensional morphology of the warp. This complex morphology suggests the existence of large-scale dynamical perturbations due to a possible unseen planet. As we seek to learn more about the universe, we must continually build astronomical instruments that can uncover more of the inner workings of the physical processes that underlie. Detailed studies of exoplanets and debris disks, such as that of HD 110058, are only made possible by well designed astronomical instruments. Through a set of instrument focused projects I will illustrate the cycle of instrument development from design to data and scientific discovery. With the characterization of the upgraded NIRSPEC detector, I explain the process used to ensure the data taken with the instrument is well-understood. Finally, I illustrate the instrument design process and the steps taken to transform scientific inquiries into instrument designs with the Fabry-P rot etalon calibration system concept for OSIRIS.

Electronic Imaging in Astronomy

Electronic Imaging in Astronomy PDF Author: Ian S. McLean
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540765832
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 576

Get Book Here

Book Description
The second edition of Electronic Imaging in Astronomy: Detectors and Instrumentation describes the remarkable developments that have taken place in astronomical detectors and instrumentation in recent years – from the invention of the charge-coupled device (CCD) in 1970 to the current era of very large telescopes, such as the Keck 10-meter telescopes in Hawaii with their laser guide-star adaptive optics which rival the image quality of the Hubble Space Telescope. Authored by one of the world’s foremost experts on the design and development of electronic imaging systems for astronomy, this book has been written on several levels to appeal to a broad readership. Mathematical expositions are designed to encourage a wider audience, especially among the growing community of amateur astronomers with small telescopes with CCD cameras. The book can be used at the college level for an introductory course on modern astronomical detectors and instruments, and as a supplement for a practical or laboratory class.

Nulling Interferometers for Space-based High-Contrast Visible Imaging and Measurement of Exoplanetary Environments

Nulling Interferometers for Space-based High-Contrast Visible Imaging and Measurement of Exoplanetary Environments PDF Author: Brian Hicks
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461482119
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 139

Get Book Here

Book Description
High-contrast astronomical imaging has progressed significantly in the past decade. Many of these techniques have been laboratory demonstrated to perform at contrast levels adequate for the detection of Solar System-like planets and dust around nearby stars. None of them, however, have been demonstrated in space. The state of the art in high-contrast imaging systems that have been built for space-based observation, the environment best suited for spectroscopic study of exo-Earths, is the nulling interferometer that was flown on the Planetary Imaging Concept Testbed Using a Rocket Experiment (PICTURE). The PICTURE nulling interferometer, built from multiple optical elements, relies on the incorporation of additional dispersive components in order to deliver the broadband performance preferred for faint object imaging. These elements add to the cost, complexity, and misalignment risk of the instrument. The Monolithic Achromatic Nulling Interference Coronagraph (MANIC) Brian Hicks describe in this thesis the first optic of its kind. He has taken the multiple optical element concept described in earlier works from theory to a flyable monolithic optic. Brian has advanced the state of the art in nulling interferometers by improving optical stability and robustness. Following application of the fabrication method described in this work, the design of MANIC also allows for broader band performance at higher contrast than that achieved with the PICTURE nulling interferometer.

Exoplanet Science Strategy

Exoplanet Science Strategy PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030947941X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 187

Get Book Here

Book Description
The past decade has delivered remarkable discoveries in the study of exoplanets. Hand-in-hand with these advances, a theoretical understanding of the myriad of processes that dictate the formation and evolution of planets has matured, spurred on by the avalanche of unexpected discoveries. Appreciation of the factors that make a planet hospitable to life has grown in sophistication, as has understanding of the context for biosignatures, the remotely detectable aspects of a planet's atmosphere or surface that reveal the presence of life. Exoplanet Science Strategy highlights strategic priorities for large, coordinated efforts that will support the scientific goals of the broad exoplanet science community. This report outlines a strategic plan that will answer lingering questions through a combination of large, ambitious community-supported efforts and support for diverse, creative, community-driven investigator research.

Wspc Handbook Of Astronomical Instrumentation, The (In 5 Volumes)

Wspc Handbook Of Astronomical Instrumentation, The (In 5 Volumes) PDF Author:
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 981464434X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1556

Get Book Here

Book Description
Review of Volume 4:'The Handbook can be a good reference for a higher-degree science student approaching the subject or for an expert in a similar field in astronomical instrumentation. The reader requiring an in-depth presentation of a specific topic will be guided by the rich reference lists included at the end of each chapter.'The ObservatoryOur goal is to produce a comprehensive handbook of the current state of the art of astronomical instrumentation with a forward view encompassing the next decade. The target audience is graduate students with an interest in astronomical instrumentation, as well as practitioners interested in learning about the state of the art in another wavelength band or field closely related to the one in which they currently work. We assume a working knowledge of the fundamental theory: optics, semiconductor physics, etc. The purpose of this handbook is to bring together some of the leading experts in the world to discuss the frontier of astronomical instrumentation across the electromagnetic spectrum and extending into multimessenger astronomy.

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309157994
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

Get Book Here

Book Description
Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.

Exoplanets and Disks: Their Formation and Diversity

Exoplanets and Disks: Their Formation and Diversity PDF Author: Tomonori Usuda
Publisher: American Institute of Physics
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 446

Get Book Here

Book Description
Protoplanetary disks around young stars are the sites of planetary formation. Recent high spatial resolution observations from both ground and space have revealed wide varieties of disk morphology and composition. This diversity of disk properties is certainly the seeds for the well known diversity of about 350 exoplanets so far detected. Encouraged with the recent success of direct imaging of exoplanets, next generation high-contrast instruments on the 8-m class telescopes are starting to fully explore direct observations of both exoplanets and disks. This international conference was held to give an overview of this rapidly developing field and promote discussion on future studies among observers, theorists, and instruments.

Exoplanet Science Strategy

Exoplanet Science Strategy PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309479444
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 187

Get Book Here

Book Description
The past decade has delivered remarkable discoveries in the study of exoplanets. Hand-in-hand with these advances, a theoretical understanding of the myriad of processes that dictate the formation and evolution of planets has matured, spurred on by the avalanche of unexpected discoveries. Appreciation of the factors that make a planet hospitable to life has grown in sophistication, as has understanding of the context for biosignatures, the remotely detectable aspects of a planet's atmosphere or surface that reveal the presence of life. Exoplanet Science Strategy highlights strategic priorities for large, coordinated efforts that will support the scientific goals of the broad exoplanet science community. This report outlines a strategic plan that will answer lingering questions through a combination of large, ambitious community-supported efforts and support for diverse, creative, community-driven investigator research.

Modelling MEMS Deformable Mirrors for Astronomical Adaptive Optics

Modelling MEMS Deformable Mirrors for Astronomical Adaptive Optics PDF Author: Célia Blain
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description
As of July 2012, 777 exoplanets have been discovered utilizing mainly indirect detection techniques. The direct imaging of exoplanets is the next goal for astronomers, because it will reveal the diversity of planets and planetary systems, and will give access to the exoplanet's chemical composition via spectroscopy. With this spectroscopic knowledge, astronomers will be able to know, if a planet is terrestrial and, possibly, even find evidence of life. With so much potential, this branch of astronomy has also captivated the general public attention. The direct imaging of exoplanets remains a challenging task, due to (i) the extremely high contrast between the parent star and the orbiting exoplanet and (ii) their small angular separation. For ground-based observatories, this task is made even more difficult, due to the presence of atmospheric turbulence. High Contrast Imaging (HCI) instruments have been designed to meet this challenge. HCI instruments are usually composed of a coronagraph coupled with the full on-axis corrective capability of an Extreme Adaptive Optics (ExAO) system. An efficient coronagraph separates the faint planet's light from the much brighter starlight, but the dynamic boiling speckles, created by the stellar image, make exoplanet detection impossible without the help of a wavefront correction device. The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) system is a high performance HCI instrument developed at Subaru Telescope. The wavefront control system of SCExAO consists of three wavefront sensors (WFS) coupled with a 1024-actuator Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System (MEMS) deformable mirror (DM). MEMS DMs offer a large actuator density, allowing high count DMs to be deployed in small size beams. Therefore, MEMS DMs are an attractive technology for Adaptive Optics (AO) systems and are particularly well suited for HCI instruments employing ExAO technologies. SCExAO uses coherent light modulation in the focal plane introduced by the DM, for both wavefront sensing and correction. In this scheme, the DM is used to introduce known aberrations (speckles in the focal plane), which interfere with existing speckles. By monitoring the interference between the pre-existing speckles and the speckles added deliberately by the DM, it is possible to reconstruct the complex amplitude (amplitude and phase) of the focal plane speckles. Thus, the DM is used for wavefront sensing, in a scheme akin to phase diversity. For SCExAO and other HCI systems using phase diversity, the wavefront compensation is a mix of closed-loop and open-loop control of the DM. The successful implementation of MEMS DMs open-loop control relies on a thorough modelling of the DM response to the control system commands. The work presented in this thesis, motivated by the need to provide accurate DM control for the wavefront control system of SCExAO, was centred around the development of MEMS DM models. This dissertation reports the characterization of MEMS DMs and the development of two efficient modelling approaches. The open-loop performance of both approaches has been investigated. The model providing the best result has been implemented within the SCExAO wavefront control software. Within SCExAO, the model was used to command the DM to create focal plane speckles. The work is now focused on using the model within a full speckle nulling process and on increasing the execution speed to make the model suitable for on-sky operation.