PULSE: The Palomar Ultraviolet Laser for the Study of Exoplanets

TL;DR

PULSE is an ultraviolet laser system designed to enhance adaptive optics on the Hale Telescope, significantly improving exoplanet imaging capabilities by enabling better turbulence correction and spectroscopy of distant, low-mass exoplanets.

Contribution

The paper introduces PULSE, a novel ultraviolet laser system that extends adaptive optics correction to fainter guide stars, improving exoplanet observation and spectroscopy.

Findings

Increases guide star magnitude limit from mV < 10 to mV < 16.

Achieves highest near-infrared Strehl ratios among large telescope laser AO systems.

Enables spectroscopy of low-mass, distant exoplanets.

Abstract

The Palomar Ultraviolet Laser for the Study of Exoplanets (PULSE) will dramatically expand the science reach of PALM-3000, the facility high-contrast extreme adaptive optics system on the 5-meter Hale Telescope. By using an ultraviolet laser to measure the dominant high spatial and temporal order turbulence near the telescope aperture, one can increase the limiting natural guide star magnitude for exquisite correction from mV < 10 to mV < 16. Providing the highest near-infrared Strehl ratios from any large telescope laser adaptive optics system, PULSE uniquely enables spectroscopy of low-mass and more distant young exoplanet systems, essential to formulating a complete picture of exoplanet populations.