Pixel-Level Calibration for Space-Based High Precision Astrometry Using Young's Fringes
Abstract
The detection of Earth-like exoplanets via astrometry necessitates centroiding precision at the 0.3 as level, thereby imposing stringent constraints on the focal plane geometry of space telescopes. The AGATE focal plane instrument, a proposed component of the NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), aims to achieve this objective through the calibration of the intra-pixel response function of CMOS detectors to an accuracy of 50 pix (220 nm The present paper proposes a Young's fringes-based calibration method, derived from those employed by JPL and IPAG, for the purpose of mapping the pixel response barycenter offsets across the detector. Using a Pyxalis GIGAPYX-4600 CMOS sensor, we demonstrate via simulations and laboratory measurements that (1) a precision of 5x10______ pix is achievable with 10,000 frames (current setup); (2) inter-pixel capacitance crosstalk and fringe hyperbolicity are dominating the errors at small and large scales, respectively; and, (3) an iterative inverse problem approach with a hyperbolic fringe model is proposed to overcome paraxial approximation limits for 1 Gpix focal planes. These results pave the way for on-board calibration of HWO's astrometric instrument, ensuring the sub-as precision required for exo-Earth detection.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2608.03356,
title = {Pixel-Level Calibration for Space-Based High Precision Astrometry Using Young's Fringes},
author = {Hugo Rousset and Eric Thiébaut and Chloé Rey and Manon Lizzana and Sébastien Soler and Fabrice Pancher and Julien Michelot and Logi Olgeirsson and Jean Baptiste Le Bouquin and Alain L{é}ger and Fabien Malbet},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.03356},
year = {2026}
}