Three years of harvest with the vector vortex coronagraph in the thermal infrared

For several years, we have been developing vortex phase masks based on sub-wavelength gratings, known as Annular Groove Phase Masks. Etched onto diamond substrates, these AGPMs are currently designed to be used in the thermal infrared (ranging from 3 to 13 μm). Our AGPMs were first installed on VLT/NACO and VLT/VISIR in 2012, followed by LBT/LMIRCam in 2013 and Keck/NIRC2 in 2015. In this paper, we review the development, commissioning, on-sky performance, and early scientific results of these new coronagraphic modes and report on the lessons learned. We conclude with perspectives for future developments and applications.

[1]  P. Baudoz,et al.  Tip-tilt estimation and correction using FQPM coronagraphic images , 2012 .

[2]  Dimitri Mawet,et al.  VISIR upgrade overview and status , 2014, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[3]  D. Mawet,et al.  Subwavelength surface-relief gratings for stellar coronagraphy. , 2005, Applied optics.

[4]  Olivier Absil,et al.  End-to-end simulations of the E-ELT/METIS coronagraphs , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[5]  Bruno Leibundgut,et al.  Science Verification for the VISIR Upgrade , 2016 .

[6]  D. Mawet,et al.  A DIM CANDIDATE COMPANION TO ϵ CEPHEI , 2011, 1107.3872.

[7]  Olivier Absil,et al.  Controlling the profile of high aspect ratio gratings in diamond , 2016 .

[8]  Pontus Forsberg,et al.  Diamond grating waveplates , 2016 .

[9]  Dimitri Mawet,et al.  DISCOVERY OF A COMPANION CANDIDATE IN THE HD 169142 TRANSITION DISK AND THE POSSIBILITY OF MULTIPLE PLANET FORMATION , 2014, 1408.0813.

[10]  Julien H. Girard,et al.  L'-band AGPM vector vortex coronagraph's first light on VLT/NACO. Discovery of a late-type companion , 2013, 1304.0930.

[11]  Jean-Pierre Véran,et al.  Exoplanet imaging with LOCI processing: photometry and astrometry with the new SOSIE pipeline , 2010, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[12]  Pierre Baudoz,et al.  Post-coronagraphic tip-tilt sensing for vortex phase masks: The QACITS technique , 2015, 1509.06158.

[13]  D. Mawet,et al.  Design, manufacturing, and performance analysis of mid-infrared achromatic half-wave plates with diamond subwavelength gratings. , 2012, Applied optics.

[14]  Olivier Absil,et al.  High-contrast imaging with METIS , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[15]  Henry Ngo,et al.  Commissioning and first light results of an L'-band vortex coronagraph with the Keck II adaptive optics NIRC2 science instrument , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[16]  Dimitri Mawet,et al.  Speckle nulling wavefront control for Palomar and Keck , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[17]  Dimitri Mawet,et al.  VISIR upgrade overview: all's well that ends well , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[18]  Jeffrey Jewell,et al.  Apodized vortex coronagraph designs for segmented aperture telescopes , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[19]  Marc Van Droogenbroeck,et al.  Low-rank plus sparse decomposition for exoplanet detection in direct-imaging ADI sequences. The LLSG algorithm , 2016, 1602.08381.

[20]  D. Mawet,et al.  RING-APODIZED VORTEX CORONAGRAPHS FOR OBSCURED TELESCOPES. I. TRANSMISSIVE RING APODIZERS , 2013, 1309.3328.

[21]  Frantz Martinache,et al.  Lyot-based Low Order Wavefront Sensor for Phase-mask Coronagraphs: Principle, Simulations and Laboratory Experiments , 2014, 1404.7201.

[22]  C. Aime,et al.  Speckle Noise and Dynamic Range in Coronagraphic Images , 2007, 0706.1739.

[23]  D. Mawet,et al.  L'-band AGPM vector vortex coronagraph's first light on LBTI/LMIRCam , 2014, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[24]  D. Mawet,et al.  An image of an exoplanet separated by two diffraction beamwidths from a star , 2010, Nature.

[25]  S. Ridgway,et al.  Theoretical Limits on Extrasolar Terrestrial Planet Detection with Coronagraphs , 2006, astro-ph/0608506.

[26]  A. Boccaletti,et al.  A Giant Planet Imaged in the Disk of the Young Star β Pictoris , 2010, Science.

[27]  Rafael Millan-Gabet,et al.  High contrast imaging at the LBT: the LEECH exoplanet imaging survey , 2014, Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.

[28]  Pierre Baudoz,et al.  The QACITS pointing sensor: from theory to on-sky operation on Keck/NIRC2 , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[29]  Pierre Baudoz,et al.  Optimizing the subwavelength grating of L-band annular groove phase masks for high coronagraphic performance , 2016, 1610.05065.

[30]  David M. Shemo,et al.  Optical Vectorial Vortex Coronagraphs using Liquid Crystal Polymers: theory, manufacturing and laboratory demonstration. , 2009, Optics express.

[31]  Pontus Forsberg,et al.  High aspect ratio optical gratings in diamond , 2013 .

[32]  David Mouillet,et al.  NAOS, the first AO system of the VLT: on-sky performance , 2003, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[33]  D. Mawet,et al.  Searching for companions down to 2 AU from β Pictoris using the L′-band AGPM coronagraph on VLT/NACO , 2013, 1311.4298.

[34]  D. Mawet,et al.  Annular Groove Phase Mask Coronagraph , 2005 .

[35]  G. Swartzlander,et al.  Optical vortex coronagraph. , 2005, Optics letters.

[36]  E. Bloemhof,et al.  Anomalous intensity of pinned speckles at high adaptive correction. , 2004, Optics letters.

[37]  Dimitri Mawet,et al.  VIP: Vortex Image Processing pipeline for high-contrast direct imaging of exoplanets , 2016 .

[38]  Jarron Leisenring,et al.  On-sky operations and performance of LMIRcam at the Large Binocular Telescope , 2012, Other Conferences.

[39]  C. Jenkins.  Optical vortex coronagraphs on ground-based telescopes , 2007, 0709.0153.

[40]  D. Mawet,et al.  Laboratory demonstration of a mid-infrared AGPM vector vortex coronagraph , 2013, 1304.1180.

[41]  R. Siebenmorgen,et al.  Successful Commissioning of VISIR: The Mid-Infrared VLT Instrument , 2004 .

[42]  Laird M. Close,et al.  AN ENIGMATIC POINT-LIKE FEATURE WITHIN THE HD 169142 TRANSITIONAL DISK, , 2014, 1408.0794.

[43]  Remko Stuik,et al.  Status of the mid-infrared E-ELT imager and spectrograph METIS , 2016, Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.

[44]  Grover A. Swartzlander,et al.  Lyot-plane phase masks for improved high-contrast imaging with a vortex coronagraph , 2015, 1509.05750.

[45]  Bertrand Mennesson,et al.  FUNDAMENTAL LIMITATIONS OF HIGH CONTRAST IMAGING SET BY SMALL SAMPLE STATISTICS , 2014, 1407.2247.

[46]  Anne-Marie Lagrange,et al.  NAOS-CONICA first on sky results in a variety of observing modes , 2003, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation.