Related papers: Resolved imaging of exoplanets with the solar grav…
We examined the solar gravitational lens (SGL) as the means to produce direct high-resolution, multipixel images of exoplanets. The properties of the SGL are remarkable: it offers maximum light amplification of ~1e11 and angular resolution…
The remarkable optical properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL) include major brightness amplification (~1e11 at wavelength of 1 um) and extreme angular resolution (~1e-10 arcsec) in a narrow field of view. A mission to the SGL…
The Solar Gravitational Lens (SGL) allows for major brightness amplification ($\sim 10^{11}$ at wavelength of $1~\mu$m) and extreme angular resolution ($\sim10^{-10}$ arcsec) within a narrow field of view. A meter-class telescope, with a…
We utilize the well-established properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL) to consider realistic observational scenarios. Actual exoplanets, which may be the target of an SGL observational campaign, are not stationary. Their…
We consider the optical properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL) treating the Sun as a massive compact body. Using our previously developed wave-optical treatment of the SGL, we convolve it with a thin-lens representing an optical…
We study the image formation process with the solar gravitational lens (SGL) in the case of an extended, resolved source. An imaging telescope, modeled as a convex lens, is positioned within the image cylinder formed by the light received…
The solar gravitational lens (SGL) offers unique capabilities for high-resolution imaging of faint, distant objects, such as exoplanets. In the near future, a spacecraft carrying a meter-class telescope with a solar coronagraph would be…
We have surveyed all conventional methods proposed or conceivable for obtaining resolved images of an Earth-like exoplanet. Generating a 10 x 10 pixel map of a 1 R_E world at 10 pc demands ~0.85 uas angular resolution and photon-collection…
We present an analysis of high-resolution imaging of an exoplanet by a meter-class telescope positioned at a real image of the exoplanet created by the solar gravity lens. We assume an exoplanet viewed in full phase and a simple…
We report on the initial results obtained with an image convolution/deconvolution computer code that we developed and used to study the image formation capabilities of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). Although the SGL of a spherical Sun…
The solar gravitational lens (SGL) provides a factor of $10^{11}$ amplification for viewing distant point sources beyond our solar system. As such, it may be used for resolved imaging of extended sources, such as exoplanets, not possible…
We study image formation with the solar gravitational lens (SGL). We consider a point source that is positioned at a large but finite distance from the Sun. We assume that an optical telescope is positioned in the image plane, in the focal…
The prospect of combining integral field spectroscopy with the solar gravitational lens (SGL) to spectrally and spatially resolve the surfaces and atmospheres of extrasolar planets is investigated. The properties of hyperbolic orbits…
We present initial results of an ongoing engineering study on the feasibility of a space mission to the focal region of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). The mission goal is to conduct exoplanet imaging operations at heliocentric…
We consider resolved imaging of faint sources with the solar gravitational lens (SGL) while treating the Sun as an extended gravitating body. We use our new diffraction integral that describes how a spherical electromagnetic wave is…
We discuss the optical properties of the solar gravitational lens (SGL). We estimate the power of the EM field received by an imaging telescope. Studying the behavior of the EM field at the photometric detector, we develop expressions that…
Exoplanet imaging using the solar gravitational lens is an enticing prospect. The fundamental physical properties of the lens, including its angular resolution and light amplification, promise exceptional capabilities. These expectations,…
A mission to the focus of the solar gravitational lens could produce images with unprecedented angular resolution and sensitivity. In the context of trying to resolve the time variable thermal signature of continents on other Earth-like…
We investigate the possiblity to detect Earth-like planets, in the visible and the near infrared domains, with ground based Extremely Large Telescopes equipped with adaptive systems capable of providing high Strehl ratios. From a detailed…
Direct imaging of exoplanets is usually limited by quasi-static speckles. These uncorrected aberrations in a star's point spread function (PSF) obscure faint companions and limit the sensitivity of high-contrast imaging instruments. Most…