English

Mock Observations for the CSST Mission: CPI-C -- Instrument Simulation

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2025-11-14 v2 Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Abstract

To support the development of the data processing pipeline and the scientific performance assessment for the Cool Planet Imaging Coronagraph (CPI-C) on the Chinese Space Station Survey Telescope (CSST), we have developed the end-to-end instrument simulation program, CPISM. This paper details the core modules of CPISM that simulate the CPI-C instrument, focusing on the simulation of the high-contrast imaging optical system and the visible-band science camera. We modeled key optical components, such as the transmission apodizing filter, the wavefront corrector, and the focal plane mask using the HCIPy package. A 10810^{-8} contrast dark hole region, consistent with design specifications, was simulated using the Electric Field Conjugation (EFC) optimization method, and broadband observation effects were considered. For the science camera, which is an electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD), we established a detailed model encompassing photon collection, charge transfer, electron multiplication (EM), and readout processes, based on test data. This model simulates complex instrumental features including dark current, charge transfer efficiency, clock-induced charge, multiplication noise factor, and various readout effects like striping and drift. We also proposed and validated an improved statistical model for the EM process to enhance simulation efficiency. CPISM can generate simulated images containing rich instrumental details, closely similar to the expected real observational data, thus laying the foundation for the development and verification of CPI-C data processing algorithms and preparations for future scientific research.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2511.08886,
  title  = {Mock Observations for the CSST Mission: CPI-C -- Instrument Simulation},
  author = {Gang Zhao and Yiming Zhu and Jiangpei Dou and Yili Chen and Zhonghua Lv and Bingli Niu and Zhaojun Yan and Bo Ma and Ran Li},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.08886},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

18 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics