English

Sequential coronagraphic low-order wavefront control

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics 2023-12-13 v1 Earth and Planetary Astrophysics

Abstract

Coronagraphs are highly sensitive to wavefront errors, with performance degrading rapidly in the presence of low-order aberrations. Correcting these aberrations at the coronagraphic focal plane is key to optimal performance. We present two new methods based on the sequential phase diversity approach of the "Fast and Furious" algorithm that can correct low-order aberrations through a coronagraph. The first, called "2 Fast 2 Furious," is an extension of Fast and Furious to all coronagraphs with even symmetry. The second, "Tokyo Drift," uses a deep learning approach and works with general coronagraphic systems, including those with complex phase masks. Both algorithms have 100% science uptime and require effectively no diversity frames or additional hardware beyond the deformable mirror and science camera, making them suitable for many high contrast imaging systems. We present theory, simulations, and preliminary lab results demonstrating their performance.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2312.06806,
  title  = {Sequential coronagraphic low-order wavefront control},
  author = {Michael Bottom and Samuel A. U. Walker and Ian Cunnyngham and Charlotte Guthery and Jacques-Robert Delorme},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.06806},
  year   = {2023}
}

Comments

15 pages, 10 figures, AO4ELT7 conference proceedings

R2 v1 2026-06-28T13:47:43.267Z