Expected Performance of a Self-Coherent Camera

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the expected performance of the Self-Coherent Camera (SCC), a device designed to improve coronagraph efficiency by leveraging coherence properties to correct wavefront errors, through simulations under realistic conditions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation-based analysis of the SCC's performance, comparing it with differential imaging techniques for the first time.

Findings

SCC shows promising performance improvements over traditional methods.

Simulations demonstrate SCC's robustness under realistic observational conditions.

The study highlights potential advantages of SCC in high-contrast imaging.

Abstract

Residual wavefront errors in optical elements limit the performance of coronagraphs. To improve their efficiency, different types of devices have been proposed to correct or calibrate these errors. In this paper, we study one of these techniques proposed by Baudoz et al. 2006 and called Self-Coherent Camera (SCC). The principle of this instrument is based on the lack of coherence between the stellar light and the planet that is searched for. After recalling the principle of the SCC, we simulate its performance under realistic conditions and compare it with the performance of differential imaging.