Context. Transition disks offer the extraordinary opportunity to look for newly born planets and to investigate the early stages of planet formation. Aim. In this context we observed the Herbig A5 ...star MWC 758 with the L′-band vector vortex coronagraph installed in the near-infrared camera and spectrograph NIRC2 at the Keck II telescope, with the aim of unveiling the nature of the spiral structure by constraining the presence of planetary companions in the system. Methods. Our high-contrast imaging observations show a bright (ΔL′ = 7.0 ± 0.3 mag) point-like emission south of MWC 758 at a deprojected separation of ~20 au (r = 0.′′111 ± 0.′′004) from the central star. We also recover the two spiral arms (southeast and northwest), already imaged by previous studies in polarized light, and discover a third arm to the southwest of the star. No additional companions were detected in the system down to 5 Jupiter masses beyond 0.′′6 from the star. Results. We propose that the bright L′-band emission could be caused by the presence of an embedded and accreting protoplanet, although the possibility of it being an asymmetric disk feature cannot be excluded. The spiral structure is probably not related to the protoplanet candidate, unless on an inclined and eccentric orbit, and it could be due to one (or more) yet undetected planetary companions at the edge of or outside the spiral pattern. Future observations and additional simulations will be needed to shed light on the true nature of the point-like source and its link with the spiral arms.
Context. Small inner working angle coronagraphs, such as the vortex phase mask, are essential to exploit the full potential of ground-based telescopes in the context of exoplanet detection and ...characterization. However, the drawback of this attractive feature is a high sensitivity to pointing errors, which degrades the performance of the coronagraph. Aims. We propose a tip-tilt retrieval technique based on the analysis of the final coronagraphic image, hereafter called Quadrant Analysis of Coronagraphic Images for Tip-tilt Sensing (QACITS). Methods. Under the assumption of small phase aberrations, we show that the behavior of the vortex phase mask can be simply described from the entrance pupil to the Lyot stop plane with Zernike polynomials. This convenient formalism is used to establish the theoretical basis of the QACITS technique. We performed simulations to demonstrate the validity and limits of the technique, including the case of a centrally obstructed pupil. Results. The QACITS technique principle is validated with experimental results in the case of an unobstructed circular aperture, as well as simulations in presence of a central obstruction. The typical configuration of the Keck telescope (24% central obstruction) has been simulated with additional high order aberrations. In these conditions, our simulations show that the QACITS technique is still adapted to centrally obstructed pupils and performs tip-tilt retrieval with a precision of 5 × 10-2λ/D when wavefront errors amount to λ/ 14 rms and 10-2λ/D for λ/ 70 rms errors (with λ the wavelength and D the pupil diameter). Conclusions. We have developed and demonstrated a tip-tilt sensing technique for vortex coronagraphs. The implementation of the QACITS technique is based on the analysis of the scientific image and does not require any modification of the original setup. Current facilities equipped with a vortex phase mask can thus directly benefit from this technique to improve the contrast performance close to the axis.
Context.
Future instruments need efficient coronagraphs over large spectral ranges to enable broadband imaging or spectral characterization of exoplanets that are 10
8
times fainter than their star. ...Several solutions have been proposed. Pupil apodizers can attenuate the star intensity by a factor of 10
10
but they only transmit a few percent of the light of the planet. Cascades of phase and/or amplitude masks can both attenuate the starlight and transmit most of the planet light, but the number of optics that require alignment makes this solution impractical for an instrument. Finally, vector phase masks can be used to detect faint sources close to bright stars but they require the use of high-quality circular polarizers and, as in the previous solution, this leads to a complex instrument with numerous optics that require alignment and stabilization.
Aims.
We propose simple coronagraphs that only need one scalar phase mask and one binary Lyot stop providing high transmission for the planet light (> 50%) and high attenuation of the starlight over a large spectral bandpass (∼30%) and a 360° field-of-view.
Methods.
From mathematical considerations, we find a family of 2D phase masks optimized for an unobscured pupil. One mask is an azimuthal wrapped vortex phase ramp. We probe its coronagraphic performance using numerical simulations and laboratory tests.
Results.
From numerical simulations, we predict the wrapped vortex can attenuate the peak of the star image by a factor of 10
4
over a 29% bandpass and 10
5
over a 18% bandpass with transmission of more than 50% of the planet flux at ∼4
λ
/
D
. We confirm these predictions in the laboratory in visible light between 550 and 870 nm. We also obtain laboratory dark hole images in which exoplanets with fluxes that are 3 × 10
−8
times the host star flux could be detected at 3
σ
.
Conclusions.
Taking advantage of a new technology for etching continuous 2D functions, a new type of mask can be easily manufactured opening up new possibilities for broadband coronagraphy.
ABSTRACT An optical vortex coronagraph has been implemented within the NIRC2 camera on the Keck II telescope and used to carry out on-sky tests and observations. The development of this new L′-band ...observational mode is described, and an initial demonstration of the new capability is presented: a resolved image of the low-mass companion to HIP 79124, which had previously been detected by means of interferometry. With HIP 79124 B at a projected separation of 186.5 mas, both the small inner working angle of the vortex coronagraph and the related imaging improvements were crucial in imaging this close companion directly. Due to higher Strehl ratios and more relaxed contrasts in L′ band versus H band, this new coronagraphic capability will enable high-contrast, small-angle observations of nearby young exoplanets and disks on a par with those of shorter-wavelength extreme adaptive optics coronagraphs.
The Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument is a multipurpose high-contrast imaging platform designed for the discovery and detailed characterization of exoplanetary systems ...and serves as a testbed for high-contrast imaging technologies for ELTs. It is a multiband instrument which makes use of light from 600 to 2500 nm, allowing for coronagraphic direct exoplanet imaging of the inner 3λ/D from the stellar host. Wavefront sensing and control are key to the operation of SCExAO. A partial correction of low-order modes is provided by Subaru's facility adaptive optics system with the final correction, including high-order modes, implemented downstream by a combination of a visible pyramid wavefront sensor and a 2000-element deformable mirror. The well-corrected NIR (y-K bands) wavefronts can then be injected into any of the available coronagraphs, including but not limited to the phase-induced amplitude apodization and the vector vortex coronagraphs, both of which offer an inner working angle as low as 1λ/D. Noncommon path, low-order aberrations are sensed with a coronagraphic low-order wavefront sensor in the infrared (IR). Low noise, high frame rate NIR detectors allow for active speckle nulling and coherent differential imaging, while the HAWAII 2RG detector in the HiCIAO imager and/or the CHARIS integral field spectrograph (from mid-2016) can take deeper exposures and/or perform angular, spectral, and polarimetric differential imaging. Science in the visible is provided by two interferometric modules: VAMPIRES and FIRST, which enable subdiffraction limited imaging in the visible region with polarimetric and spectroscopic capabilities respectively. We describe the instrument in detail and present preliminary results both on-sky and in the laboratory.
Aims. Uncovering the ingredients and the architecture of planetary systems is a very active field of research that has fuelled many new theories on giant planet formation, migration, composition, and ...interaction with the circumstellar environment. We aim at discovering and studying new such systems, to further expand our knowledge of how low-mass companions form and evolve. Methods. We obtained high-contrast H-band images of the circumstellar environment of the F5V star HD 206893, known to host a debris disc never detected in scattered light. These observations are part of the SPHERE High Angular Resolution Debris Disc Survey (SHARDDS) using the InfraRed Dual-band Imager and Spectrograph (IRDIS) installed on VLT/SPHERE. Results. We report the detection of a source with a contrast of 3.6 × 10-5 in the H-band, orbiting at a projected separation of 270 milliarcsec or 10 au, corresponding to a mass in the range 24 to 73 MJup for an age of the system in the range 0.2 to 2 Gyr. The detection was confirmed ten months later with VLT/NaCo, ruling out a background object with no proper motion. A faint extended emission compatible with the disc scattered light signal is also observed. Conclusions. The detection of a low-mass companion inside a massive debris disc makes this system an analog of other young planetary systems such as β Pictoris, HR 8799 or HD 95086 and requires now further characterisation of both components to understand their interactions.
Context. The annular groove phase mask (AGPM) is one possible implementation of the vector vortex coronagraph, where the helical phase ramp is produced by a concentric subwavelength grating. For ...several years, we have been manufacturing AGPMs by etching gratings into synthetic diamond substrates using inductively coupled plasma etching. Aims. We aim to design, fabricate, optimize, and evaluate new L-band AGPMs that reach the highest possible coronagraphic performance, for applications in current and forthcoming infrared high-contrast imagers. Methods. Rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) is used for designing the subwavelength grating of the phase mask. Coronagraphic performance evaluation is performed on a dedicated optical test bench. The experimental results of the performance evaluation are then used to accurately determine the actual profile of the fabricated gratings, based on RCWA modeling. Results. The AGPM coronagraphic performance is very sensitive to small errors in etch depth and grating profile. Most of the fabricated components therefore show moderate performance in terms of starlight rejection (a few 100:1 in the best cases). Here we present new processes for re-etching the fabricated components in order to optimize the parameters of the grating and hence significantly increase their coronagraphic performance. Starlight rejection up to 1000:1 is demonstrated in a broadband L filter on the coronagraphic test bench, which corresponds to a raw contrast of about 10-5 at two resolution elements from the star for a perfect input wave front on a circular, unobstructed aperture. Conclusions. Thanks to their exquisite performance, our latest L-band AGPMs are good candidates for installation in state of the art and future high-contrast thermal infrared imagers, such as METIS for the E-ELT.
Context. The vortex coronagraph is an optical instrument that precisely removes on-axis starlight allowing for high contrast imaging at small angular separation from the star, a crucial capability ...for direct detection and characterization of exoplanets and circumstellar disks. Telescopes with aperture obstructions, such as secondary mirrors and spider support structures, require advanced coronagraph designs to provide adequate starlight suppression. Aims. We introduce a phase-only Lyot-plane optic to the vortex coronagraph, which offers improved contrast performance on telescopes with complicated apertures. Potential solutions for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) are described. Methods. Adding a Lyot-plane phase mask relocates residual starlight away from a region of the image plane, thereby reducing stellar noise and improving sensitivity to off-axis companions. The phase mask is calculated using an iterative phase retrieval algorithm. Results. Numerically, we achieve a contrast on the order of 10-6 for a companion with angular displacement as small as 4λ/D with an E-ELT type aperture. Even in the presence of aberrations, improved performance is expected compared to either a conventional vortex coronagraph or an optimized pupil plane phase element alone.
FIRST is a prototype instrument built to demonstrate the capabilities of the pupil remapping technique, using single-mode fibers and working at visible wavelengths. Our immediate objective is to ...demonstrate the high angular resolution capability of the instrument and to show that the spectral resolution of the instrument enables characterization of stellar companions. The FIRST-18 instrument is an improved version of FIRST-9 that simultaneously recombines two sets of nine fibers instead of one, thus greatly enhancing the (u, v) plane coverage. We report on observations of the binary system Capella at three epochs over a period of 14 months with FIRST-18 mounted on the 3 m Shane telescope at Lick Observatory. The results demonstrate the power of FIRST, which is a fibered pupil remapping-based instrument, in terms of high angular resolution and show that the direct measurement of the spectral flux ratio provides valuable information to characterize little known companions.
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