Fainter and closer: finding planets by symmetry breaking

doi:10.1364/OE.16.015553

Fainter and closer: finding planets by symmetry breaking

Erez N. Ribak and Szymon Gladysz »View Author Affiliations

Optics Express, Vol. 16, Issue 20, pp. 15553-15562 (2008)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1364/OE.16.015553

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Abstract

Imaging of planets is very difficult, due to the glare from their nearby, much brighter suns. Static and slowly-evolving aberrations are the limiting factors, even after application of adaptive optics. The residual speckle pattern is highly symmetrical due to diffraction from the telescope’s aperture. We suggest to break this symmetry and thus to locate planets hidden beneath it. An eccentric pupil mask is rotated to modulate the residual light pattern not removed by other means. This modulation is then exploited to reveal the planet’s constant signal. In well-corrected ground-based observations we can reach planets six stellar magnitudes fainter than their sun, and only 2-3 times the diffraction limit from it. At ten times the diffraction limit, we detect planets 16 magnitudes fainter. The stellar background drops by five magnitudes.

OCIS Codes
(010.1080) Atmospheric and oceanic optics : Active or adaptive optics
(030.6610) Coherence and statistical optics : Stellar speckle interferometry
(050.1220) Diffraction and gratings : Apertures
(350.1260) Other areas of optics : Astronomical optics
(110.4155) Imaging systems : Multiframe image processing
(070.6120) Fourier optics and signal processing : Spatial light modulators

ToC Category:
Imaging Systems

History
Original Manuscript: August 8, 2008
Revised Manuscript: September 10, 2008
Manuscript Accepted: September 13, 2008
Published: September 17, 2008

Citation
Erez N. Ribak and Szymon Gladysz, "Fainter and closer: finding planets by symmetry breaking," Opt. Express 16, 15553-15562 (2008)
http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-20-15553

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References

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C. Cavarroc, A. Boccaletti, P. Baudoz, T. Fusco, and D. Rouan, "Fundamental limitations on Earth-like planet detection with extremely large telescopes," Astron. Astrophys. 447, 397-403 (2006). [CrossRef]
S. Hinkley, B. R. Oppenheimer, R. Soummer, A. Sivaramakrishnan, L. C. Roberts, Jr., J. Kuhn, R. B. Makidon, M. D. Perrin, J. P. Lloyd, K. Kratter, and D. Brenner, "Temporal evolution of coronagraphic dynamic range and constraints on companions to Vega," Astrophys. J. 654, 633-640 (2007). [CrossRef]
R. B. Makidon, A. Sivaramakrishnan, and R. van der Marel, "Observing extrasolar giant planet environments with JWST," Proc. SPIE 7010, 7010-7024 (2008).
C. Marois, D. Lafrenière, R. Doyon, B. Macintosh, and D. Nadeau, "Angular differential imaging: a powerful high-contrast imaging technique," Astrophys. J. 641, 556-559 (2006). [CrossRef]
R. Racine, G. A. H. Walker, D. Nadeau, R. Doyon, and C. Marois, "Speckle noise and the detection of faint companions," Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac. 111, 587-594 (1999). [CrossRef]
J. L. Codona and R. Angel, "Imaging extrasolar planets by stellar halo suppression in separately corrected color bands," Astrophys. J. 604, L117-L120 (2004). [CrossRef]
D. Gisler, H. M. Schmid, C. Thalmann, H. P. Povel, J. O. Stenflo, F. Joos, M. Feldt, R. Lenzen, J. Tinbergen, R. Gratton, R. Stuik, D. M. Stam, W. Brandner, S. Hippler, M. Turatto, R. Neuhauser, C. Dominik, A. Hatzes, T. Henning, J. Lima, A. Quirrenbach, L. B. F. M. Waters, G. Wuchterl, and H. Zinnecker, "CHEOPS/ZIMPOL: a VLT instrument study for the polarimetric search of scattered light from extrasolar planets," Proc. SPIE 5492, 463-474 (2004). [CrossRef]
S. Gladysz and J. C. Christou, "Detection of faint companions through stochastic speckle discrimination," Astrophys. J. 684, 1486-1495 (2008). [CrossRef]
P. J. Bordé and W. A. Traub, "High-contrast imaging from space: speckle nulling in a low-aberration regime," Astrophys. J. 638, 488-498 (2006). [CrossRef]
A. Give'on, R. Belikov, S. Shaklan, and J. Kasdin, "Closed loop, DM diversity-based, wavefront correction algorithm for high contrast imaging systems," Opt. Express 15, 12338-12343 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
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A. Boccaletti, M. Carbillet, T. Fusco, D. Mouillet, M. Langlois, C. Moutou, and K. Dohlen, "End-to-end simulation of AO-assisted coronagraphic differential imaging: estimation of performance for SPHERE," Proc. SPIE 7015, 7015-7234 (2008).
L. Jolissaint, J.-P. Véran, and R. Conan, "Analytical modeling of adaptive optics: foundations of the phase spatial power spectrum approach," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23, 382-394 (2006). [CrossRef]
P. Dierickx, D. Enard, R. Geyl, J. Paseri, M. Cayrel, and P. Béraud, "The VLT primary mirrors: mirror production and measured performance," Proc. SPIE 2871, 385-392 (1997). [CrossRef]
K. Creath, "Phase measurement interferometry," Prog. Opt. 25, 349-393 (1988); [CrossRef]
E. Ribak and E. Leibowitz, "Shearing stellar interferometer: 1. Digital data analysis scheme," Appl. Opt. 24, 3088-3093 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
J. W. Goodman, Statistical optics (Wiley 2000).
A. Labeyrie, "Images of exo-planets obtainable from dark speckles in adaptive telescopes," Astron. Astrophys. 298, 544-548 (1995).
A. Boccaletti, C. Moutou, D. Mouillet, A.-M. Lagrange, and J.-C. Augereau, "Dark-speckle coronagraphic detection of binary stars in the near-IR," Astron. Astrophys. 367, 371-380 (2001). [CrossRef]
W. B. Sparks and H. C. Ford, "Imaging spectroscopy for extrasolar planet detection," Astrophys. J. 578, 543-564 (2002). [CrossRef]
N. Thatte, R. Abuter, M. Tecza, E. L. Nielsen, F. J. Clarke, and L. M. Close, "Very high contrast integral field spectroscopy of AB Doradus C: 9-mag contrast at 0.2 arcsec without a coronagraph using spectral deconvolution," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 378, 1229-1236 (2007). [CrossRef]
P. Nisenson and C. Papaliolios, "Detection of Earth-like planets using apodized telescopes," Astrophys. J. 548, L201-L205 (2001). [CrossRef]
N. J. Kasdin, R. J. Vanderbei, D. N. Spergel, and M. G. Littman, "Extrasolar planet finding via optimal apodized-pupil and shaped-pupil coronagraphs," Astrophys. J. 582, 1147-1161 (2003). [CrossRef]
J. T. Trauger and W. A. Traub, "A laboratory demonstration of the capability to image an Earth-like extrasolar planet," Nature 44, 771-773 (2007). [CrossRef]
O. Guyon, E. A. Pluzhnik, M. J. Kuchner, B. Collins, and S. T. Ridgway, "Theoretical limits on extrasolar terrestrial planet detection with coronagraphs," Astrophys. J.Suppl. 167, 8199 (2006). [CrossRef]
Y. Carmon and E. N. Ribak, "Diffraction symmetries of a field of slowly varying phase," submitted (2008).
G. A. Swartzlander, R. L. Ford, R. S. Abdul-Malik, L. M. Close, M. A. Peters, D. M. Palacios, and D. W. Wilson, "Astronomical demonstration of an optical vortex coronagraph," Opt. Express 16, 10200-10207 (2008). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Abdul-Malik, R. S.
Abuter, R.
Angel, R.
Antici, J.
Augereau, J.-C.
Baruffolo, A.
Baudoz, P.
Belikov, R.
Béraud, P.
Berton, A.
Beuzit, J.-L.
Bloemhof, E. E.
Boccaletti, A.
Bordé, P. J.
Brandner, W.
Brenner, D.
Burrows, A.
Carbillet, M.
Cavarroc, C.
Cayrel, M.
Charton, J.
Christou, J. C.
Clarke, F. J.
Claudi, R.
Close, L. M.
Codona, J. L.
Collins, B.
Conan, R.
Creath, K.
Dekany, R. D.
Dierickx, P.
Dohlen, K.
Dominik, C.
Downing, M.
Doyon, R.
Enard, D.
Feautrier, P.
Fedrigo, E.
Feldt, M.
Ford, H. C.
Ford, R. L.
Fusco, T.
Geyl, R.
Gisler, D.
Give'on, A.
Gladysz, S.
Gratton, R.
Guyon, O.
Hatzes, A.
Henning, T.
Hinkley, S.
Hippler, S.
Hubin, N.
Jolissaint, L.
Joos, F.
Kasdin, J.
Kasdin, N. J.
Kasper, M.
Kratter, K.
Kuchner, M. J.
Kuhn, J.
Labeyrie, A.
Lafrenière, D.
Lagrange, A.-M.
Langlois, M.
Leibowitz, E.
Lenzen, R.
Lima, J.
Littman, M. G.
Lloyd, J. P.
Macintosh, B.
Makidon, R. B.
Malbet, F.
Marois, C.
Mouillet, D.
Moutou, C.
Mugnier, L.
Nadeau, D.
Neuhauser, R.
Nielsen, E. L.
Nisenson, P.
Oppenheimer, B. R.
Palacios, D. M.
Papaliolios, C.
Paseri, J.
Perrin, M. D.
Peters, M. A.
Pluzhnik, E. A.
Povel, H. P.
Pragt, J.
Puget, P.
Quirrenbach, A.
Rabou, P.
Racine, R.
Ribak, E.
Ridgway, S. T.
Roberts, L. C.
Rouan, D.
Saisse, M.
Schmid, H. M.
Shaklan, S.
Shao, M.
Sivaramakrishnan, A.
Soummer, R.
Sparks, W. B.
Spergel, D. N.
Stadler, E.
Stam, D. M.
Stenflo, J. O.
Stuik, R.
Swartzlander, G. A.
Tecza, M.
Thalmann, C.
Thatte, N.
Tinbergen, J.
Traub, W. A.
Trauger, J. T.
Troy, M.
Turatto, M.
Turrato, M.
Udry, S.
van der Marel, R.
Vanderbei, R. J.
Véran, J.-P.
Walker, G. A. H.
Waters, L. B. F. M.
Waters, R.
Wildi, F.
Wilson, D. W.
Wuchterl, G.
Yu, J. W.
Zinnecker, H.

Appl. Opt.

E. Ribak and E. Leibowitz, "Shearing stellar interferometer: 1. Digital data analysis scheme," Appl. Opt. 24, 3088-3093 (1985). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Astron. Astrophys.

A. Labeyrie, "Images of exo-planets obtainable from dark speckles in adaptive telescopes," Astron. Astrophys. 298, 544-548 (1995).
A. Boccaletti, C. Moutou, D. Mouillet, A.-M. Lagrange, and J.-C. Augereau, "Dark-speckle coronagraphic detection of binary stars in the near-IR," Astron. Astrophys. 367, 371-380 (2001). [CrossRef]
C. Cavarroc, A. Boccaletti, P. Baudoz, T. Fusco, and D. Rouan, "Fundamental limitations on Earth-like planet detection with extremely large telescopes," Astron. Astrophys. 447, 397-403 (2006). [CrossRef]

Astrophys. J.

S. Hinkley, B. R. Oppenheimer, R. Soummer, A. Sivaramakrishnan, L. C. Roberts, Jr., J. Kuhn, R. B. Makidon, M. D. Perrin, J. P. Lloyd, K. Kratter, and D. Brenner, "Temporal evolution of coronagraphic dynamic range and constraints on companions to Vega," Astrophys. J. 654, 633-640 (2007). [CrossRef]
C. Marois, D. Lafrenière, R. Doyon, B. Macintosh, and D. Nadeau, "Angular differential imaging: a powerful high-contrast imaging technique," Astrophys. J. 641, 556-559 (2006). [CrossRef]
J. L. Codona and R. Angel, "Imaging extrasolar planets by stellar halo suppression in separately corrected color bands," Astrophys. J. 604, L117-L120 (2004). [CrossRef]
S. Gladysz and J. C. Christou, "Detection of faint companions through stochastic speckle discrimination," Astrophys. J. 684, 1486-1495 (2008). [CrossRef]
P. J. Bordé and W. A. Traub, "High-contrast imaging from space: speckle nulling in a low-aberration regime," Astrophys. J. 638, 488-498 (2006). [CrossRef]
E. E. Bloemhof, R. D. Dekany, M. Troy, and B. R. Oppenheimer, "Behavior of remnant speckles in an adaptively corrected imaging system," Astrophys. J. 558, L71-L74 (2001). [CrossRef]
W. B. Sparks and H. C. Ford, "Imaging spectroscopy for extrasolar planet detection," Astrophys. J. 578, 543-564 (2002). [CrossRef]
P. Nisenson and C. Papaliolios, "Detection of Earth-like planets using apodized telescopes," Astrophys. J. 548, L201-L205 (2001). [CrossRef]
N. J. Kasdin, R. J. Vanderbei, D. N. Spergel, and M. G. Littman, "Extrasolar planet finding via optimal apodized-pupil and shaped-pupil coronagraphs," Astrophys. J. 582, 1147-1161 (2003). [CrossRef]
O. Guyon, E. A. Pluzhnik, M. J. Kuchner, B. Collins, and S. T. Ridgway, "Theoretical limits on extrasolar terrestrial planet detection with coronagraphs," Astrophys. J.Suppl. 167, 8199 (2006). [CrossRef]

J. Opt. Soc. Am. A

L. Jolissaint, J.-P. Véran, and R. Conan, "Analytical modeling of adaptive optics: foundations of the phase spatial power spectrum approach," J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 23, 382-394 (2006). [CrossRef]

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

N. Thatte, R. Abuter, M. Tecza, E. L. Nielsen, F. J. Clarke, and L. M. Close, "Very high contrast integral field spectroscopy of AB Doradus C: 9-mag contrast at 0.2 arcsec without a coronagraph using spectral deconvolution," Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 378, 1229-1236 (2007). [CrossRef]

Nature

J. T. Trauger and W. A. Traub, "A laboratory demonstration of the capability to image an Earth-like extrasolar planet," Nature 44, 771-773 (2007). [CrossRef]
A. Burrows, "A theoretical look at the direct detection of giant planets outside the Solar System," Nature 433, 261-268 (2005). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Express

Proc. SPIE

D. Gisler, H. M. Schmid, C. Thalmann, H. P. Povel, J. O. Stenflo, F. Joos, M. Feldt, R. Lenzen, J. Tinbergen, R. Gratton, R. Stuik, D. M. Stam, W. Brandner, S. Hippler, M. Turatto, R. Neuhauser, C. Dominik, A. Hatzes, T. Henning, J. Lima, A. Quirrenbach, L. B. F. M. Waters, G. Wuchterl, and H. Zinnecker, "CHEOPS/ZIMPOL: a VLT instrument study for the polarimetric search of scattered light from extrasolar planets," Proc. SPIE 5492, 463-474 (2004). [CrossRef]
P. Dierickx, D. Enard, R. Geyl, J. Paseri, M. Cayrel, and P. Béraud, "The VLT primary mirrors: mirror production and measured performance," Proc. SPIE 2871, 385-392 (1997). [CrossRef]
A. Boccaletti, M. Carbillet, T. Fusco, D. Mouillet, M. Langlois, C. Moutou, and K. Dohlen, "End-to-end simulation of AO-assisted coronagraphic differential imaging: estimation of performance for SPHERE," Proc. SPIE 7015, 7015-7234 (2008).
R. B. Makidon, A. Sivaramakrishnan, and R. van der Marel, "Observing extrasolar giant planet environments with JWST," Proc. SPIE 7010, 7010-7024 (2008).

Prog. Opt.

K. Creath, "Phase measurement interferometry," Prog. Opt. 25, 349-393 (1988); [CrossRef]

Pub. Astron. Soc. Pac.

F. Malbet, J. W. Yu, and M. Shao, "High dynamic range imaging using a deformable mirror for space coronography," Pub. Astron. Soc. Pac. 107, 386-398 (1995). [CrossRef]

Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac.

R. Racine, G. A. H. Walker, D. Nadeau, R. Doyon, and C. Marois, "Speckle noise and the detection of faint companions," Publ. Astron. Soc. Pac. 111, 587-594 (1999). [CrossRef]

The Messenger

J.-L. Beuzit, M. Feldt, K. Dohlen, D. Mouillet, P. Puget, J. Antici, A. Baruffolo, P. Baudoz, A. Berton, A. Boccaletti, M. Carbillet, J. Charton, R. Claudi, M. Downing, P. Feautrier, E. Fedrigo, T. Fusco, R. Gratton, N. Hubin, M. Kasper, M. Langlois, C. Moutou, L. Mugnier, J. Pragt, P. Rabou, M. Saisse, H. M. Schmid, E. Stadler, M. Turrato, S. Udry, R. Waters, and F. Wildi, "SPHERE: a 'Planet Finder' Instrument for the VLT," The Messenger 125, 29-34 (2006).

Other

Y. Carmon and E. N. Ribak, "Diffraction symmetries of a field of slowly varying phase," submitted (2008).
J. W. Goodman, Statistical optics (Wiley 2000).
B. Macintosh, J. Graham, D. Palmer, R. Doyon, D. Gavel, J. Larkin, B. Oppenheimer, L. Saddlemyer, J. K. Wallace, B. Bauman, J. Evans, D. Erikson, K. Morzinski, D. Phillion, L. Poyneer, A. Sivaramakrishnan, R. Soummer, S. Thibault, and J.-P. Veran, "The Gemini Planet Imager," Proc. SPIE 6272, 62720L1-12 (2006).
M. A. Kenworthy, P. M. Hinz, J. R. P. Angel, A. N. Heinze, and S. Sivanandam, "Whack-a-speckle: focal plane wavefront sensing in theory and practice with a deformable secondary mirror and 5-micron camera," Proc. SPIE 6272, 62723B1-7 (2006).

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