Visible-Light High-Contrast Imaging and Polarimetry with SCExAO/VAMPIRES

TL;DR

This paper details upgrades to the VAMPIRES instrument on SCExAO, enhancing high-contrast visible-light imaging and polarimetry capabilities for studying various astronomical objects with improved sensitivity, resolution, and contrast.

Contribution

The paper introduces new hardware and mode enhancements to VAMPIRES, significantly improving its performance for high-contrast imaging and polarimetry in visible light.

Findings

Achieves angular resolution of 17-21 mas and Strehl ratios up to 60%

Demonstrates imaging of circumstellar disks, sub-stellar companions, and planetary nebulae

Reaches contrast limits of 10^-4 at 0.1'' and 10^-6 beyond 0.5''

Abstract

We present significant upgrades to the VAMPIRES instrument, a visible-light (600 nm to 800 nm) high-contrast imaging polarimeter integrated within SCExAO on the Subaru telescope. Key enhancements include new qCMOS detectors, coronagraphs, polarization optics, and a multiband imaging mode, improving sensitivity, resolution, and efficiency. These upgrades position VAMPIRES as a powerful tool for studying sub-stellar companions, accreting protoplanets, circumstellar disks, stellar jets, stellar mass-loss shells, and solar system objects. The instrument achieves angular resolutions from 17 mas to 21 mas and Strehl ratios up to 60\%, with 5$\sigma$ contrast limits of $10^{\text{-}4}$ at 0.1'' to $10^{\text{-}6}$ beyond 0.5''. We demonstrate these capabilities through spectro-polarimetric coronagraphic imaging of the HD 169142 circumstellar disk, ADI+SDI imaging of the sub-stellar companion HD 1160B, narrowband H$\alpha$ imaging of the R Aqr emission nebula, and spectro-polarimetric imaging of Neptune.