Design of the vacuum high contrast imaging testbed for CDEEP, the Coronagraphic Debris and Exoplanet Exploring Pioneer

TL;DR

The paper presents the design and development status of a vacuum testbed for CDEEP, a Small-Sat mission aimed at high contrast imaging of debris disks using advanced coronagraphic technology.

Contribution

It introduces the CDEEP mission concept and details the design and simulation results of its vacuum-compatible testbed for space environment testing.

Findings

Testbed design achieves target contrast levels in simulations

Performance estimates support mission feasibility

Prototype development is underway at the University of Arizona

Abstract

The Coronagraphic Debris Exoplanet Exploring Payload (CDEEP) is a Small-Sat mission concept for high contrast imaging of circumstellar disks. CDEEP is designed to observe disks in scattered light at visible wavelengths at a raw contrast level of 10^-7 per resolution element (10^-8 with post processing). This exceptional sensitivity will allow the imaging of transport dominated debris disks, quantifying the albedo, composition, and morphology of these low-surface brightness disks. CDEEP combines an off-axis telescope, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirror, and a vector vortex coronagraph (VVC). This system will require rigorous testing and characterization in a space environment. We report on the CDEEP mission concept, and the status of the vacuum-compatible CDEEP prototype testbed currently under development at the University of Arizona, including design development and the results of simulations to estimate performance.