High-contrast coronagraph for ground-based imaging of Jupiter-like planets

TL;DR

This paper introduces a high-contrast coronagraph design using a step-transmission filter aimed at enabling ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics to directly image Jupiter-like exoplanets with high contrast ratios within close angular proximity.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel coronagraph design employing a step-transmission filter optimized for ground-based telescopes with adaptive optics, improving direct imaging capabilities of exoplanets.

Findings

Achieves contrast ratios of 10^-6 within 0.1 arcseconds of the star

Design compatible with telescopes with central obstructions and spider structures

Ground-based imaging of Jupiter-like planets is feasible with current technology

Abstract

We propose a high-contrast coronagraph for direct imaging of young Jupiter-like planets orbiting nearby bright stars. The coronagraph employs a step-transmission filter in which the intensity is apodized with a finite number of steps of identical transmission in each step. It should be installed on a large ground-based telescope equipped with state-of-the-art adaptive optics systems. In that case, contrast ratios around 10^-6 should be accessible within 0.1 arc seconds of the central star. In recent progress, a coronagraph with circular apodizing filter has been developing, which can be used for a ground-based telescope with central obstruction and spider structure. It is shown that ground-based direct imaging of Jupiter-like planets is promising with current technology.