Vacuum nuller testbed (VNT) performance, characterization and null control: progress report

Richard G. Lyon; Mark Clampin; Peter Petrone; Udayan Mallik; Timothy Madison; Matthew R. Bolcar; M. Charley Noecker; Stephen Kendrick; Michael Helmbrecht

doi:10.1117/12.894531

15 September 2011 Vacuum nuller testbed (VNT) performance, characterization and null control: progress report

Richard G. Lyon, Mark Clampin, Peter Petrone, Udayan Mallik, Timothy Madison, Matthew R. Bolcar, M. Charley Noecker, Stephen Kendrick, Michael Helmbrecht

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 8151, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets V; 81510F (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.894531
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Herein we report on the development, sensing and control and our first results with the Vacuum Nuller Testbed to realize a Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) for exoplanet coronagraphy. The VNC is one of the few approaches that works with filled, segmented and sparse or diluted-aperture telescope systems. It thus spans a range of potential future NASA telescopes and could be flown as a separate instrument on such a future mission. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has a well-established effort to develop VNC technologies, and has developed an incremental sequence of VNC testbeds to advance this approach and the enabling technologies associated with it. We discuss the continued development of the vacuum Visible Nulling Coronagraph testbed (VNT). The VNT is an ultra-stable vibration isolated testbed that operates under closed-loop control within a vacuum chamber. It will be used to achieve an incremental sequence of three visible-light nulling milestones with sequentially higher contrasts of 10⁸, 10⁹, and ideally 10¹⁰ at an inner working angle of 2*λ/D. The VNT is based on a modified Mach-Zehnder nulling interferometer, with a "W" configuration to accommodate a hex-packed MEMS based deformable mirror, a coherent fiber bundle and achromatic phase shifters. We discuss the initial laboratory results, the optical configuration, critical technologies and the null sensing and control approach.

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Richard G. Lyon, Mark Clampin, Peter Petrone, Udayan Mallik, Timothy Madison, Matthew R. Bolcar, M. Charley Noecker, Stephen Kendrick, and Michael Helmbrecht "Vacuum nuller testbed (VNT) performance, characterization and null control: progress report", Proc. SPIE 8151, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets V, 81510F (15 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.894531

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