One of the architectures under consideration for Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) is a visible coronagraph. To achieve TPF science goals, the coronagraph must have extreme levels of wavefront correction (less than 1 /spl Aring/ rms over controllable spatial frequencies) and stability to get the necessary suppression of diffracted starlight (10/sup -10/ contrast). The High Contrast Imaging Testbed is the TPF platform for laboratory validation of key coronagraph technologies, as well as demonstration of a flight-traceable approach to coronagraph implementation. Various wavefront sensing approaches are under investigation on the testbed, with wavefront control provided by a precision high actuator density deformable mirror. Diffracted light control is achieved through a combination of an occulting or apodizing mask and stop; many concepts exist for these components and are explored. Contrast measurements on the testbed establishes the technical feasibility of TPF requirements, while model and error budget validation are demonstrate implementation viability. This paper describes the current testbed design and preliminary experimental results.
High contrast imaging testbed for the Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph
2004 IEEE Aerospace Conference Proceedings (IEEE Cat. No.04TH8720) ; 4 ; 2156-2161 Vol.4
2004-01-01
531061 byte
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
6.0806 High Contrast Imaging Testbed for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2004
|Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraph
NTRS | 2003
|Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph
NTRS | 2003
|