TY - GEN
T1 - Imaging exoplanets with nulling interferometry using integrated-photonics
T2 - Advances in Optical Astronomical Instrumentation 2019
AU - Martinod, M. A.
AU - Norris, B.
AU - Gross, S.
AU - Arriola, A.
AU - Gretzinger, T.
AU - Withford, M.
AU - Lagadec, T.
AU - Tuthill, P.
N1 - Copyright 2020 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.
PY - 2020/1/3
Y1 - 2020/1/3
N2 - As confirmed exoplanets climb into the thousands, the era of exoplanets discovery is giving way to exoplanet characterization. The most desirable scenario is one where the exoplanet can be directly imaged. Direct imaging not only delivers orbital parameters, but also yields the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The potential for habitable zone exoplanets to exhibit biosignatures in such data from a visionary future instrument drives intense interest. However, this requires to simultaneously reach extremely high star-to-planet contrast (from 104 to 108) and extremely high angular resolution (around and below the diffraction limit). Accomplishing all this through the atmosphere blurred by turbulence remains a critical challenge, yet it is one that nulling interferometry in combination with extreme adaptive optics aims to meet. This technique overcomes the contrast problem by removing the starlight with destructive interference, permitting the faint light coming from the planet to remain. In this paper, we present the latest evolution of nulling interferometry instrumentation: the integrated- photonic nuller. It allows spatial filtering, multiple simultaneous baselines, simultaneous photometric channels and simultaneous measurement of the "nulled" signal (the light emitted from the planet after cancelling the starlight) as well as the "anti-nulled" signal (the channel containing the redirected starlight). Exploiting these fundamental optical principles, the delivery of imaging and differential spectroscopy of exoplanetary systems becomes possible. This paper describes a pathfinder that has implemented these ideas into a robust and compact photonic-chip platform known as the GLINT (Guided-Light Interferometric Nulling Technology) project.
AB - As confirmed exoplanets climb into the thousands, the era of exoplanets discovery is giving way to exoplanet characterization. The most desirable scenario is one where the exoplanet can be directly imaged. Direct imaging not only delivers orbital parameters, but also yields the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The potential for habitable zone exoplanets to exhibit biosignatures in such data from a visionary future instrument drives intense interest. However, this requires to simultaneously reach extremely high star-to-planet contrast (from 104 to 108) and extremely high angular resolution (around and below the diffraction limit). Accomplishing all this through the atmosphere blurred by turbulence remains a critical challenge, yet it is one that nulling interferometry in combination with extreme adaptive optics aims to meet. This technique overcomes the contrast problem by removing the starlight with destructive interference, permitting the faint light coming from the planet to remain. In this paper, we present the latest evolution of nulling interferometry instrumentation: the integrated- photonic nuller. It allows spatial filtering, multiple simultaneous baselines, simultaneous photometric channels and simultaneous measurement of the "nulled" signal (the light emitted from the planet after cancelling the starlight) as well as the "anti-nulled" signal (the channel containing the redirected starlight). Exploiting these fundamental optical principles, the delivery of imaging and differential spectroscopy of exoplanetary systems becomes possible. This paper describes a pathfinder that has implemented these ideas into a robust and compact photonic-chip platform known as the GLINT (Guided-Light Interferometric Nulling Technology) project.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85079601358&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1117/12.2539790
DO - 10.1117/12.2539790
M3 - Conference proceeding contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85079601358
SN - 9781510631465
T3 - Proceedings of SPIE
SP - 1
EP - 2
BT - Advances in Optical Astronomical Instrumentation 2019
A2 - Ellis, Simon
A2 - d'Orgeville, Céline
PB - SPIE
CY - Bellingham, Washington
Y2 - 9 December 2019 through 12 December 2019
ER -