Collaborative Research: High Contrast Imaging at the Photon Noise Limit: On-Sky Validation of Speckle Reconstruction from WFS Telemetry

合作研究：光子噪声极限下的高对比度成像：WFS 遥测斑点重建的空中验证

• 批准号: 2308351
• 负责人: Jared Males
• 金额: $ 52.09万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2308351&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Contrast; Imaging; Photon

Imaging extrasolar planets is challenging. Planets are typically one hundred thousand to ten billion times fainter than their host stars. Taking pictures of such planets requires nearly perfect control of light. Starlight is blocked using optical devices called "coronagraphs". Ground-based telescopes must deal with the additional problem of turbulence in the Earth's atmosphere. Turbulence causes the stars to twinkle, and telescopes remove this twinkle using a technique called "Adaptive Optics". Finally, image processing is performed to find the exoplanet signal in the noise. Current instruments do not image the faintest possible planets because they are limited by “speckles”, which are created by imperfections in all of the above steps. However not all the available information is currently used when analyzing such images. Nearly all image processing methods use only the science images themselves. This creates many biases and artifacts. This is especially true close to the star, where most planets can be found. The goal of this project is to find more planets by using all the combined information. Software will be written for two existing instruments, which will be used by astronomers to analyze their images. This software will be written to be easy to use and made freely available to astronomers. Students will be involved at both participating institutions.Direct imaging characterization of exoplanets has so far been limited to young, hot, and massive planets orbiting relatively far from their stars. Such planets are observable due to their intrinsic self-luminosity generated as they continue to cool after formation. Many more planets are observable if the inner working angle can be improved. Moreover, improving the sensitivity limit of high-contrast imaging will enable the characterization of fainter, lower-mass planets. The key to enabling more sensitive post-processing is to use the data simultaneously recorded by the suite of wavefront sensors (WFSs) in a modern high-contrast imaging system. These include the main high-order WFS as well as coronagraph low-order and focal plane WFS. The investigators, with the assistance of a post-doctoral researcher, will implement algorithms based on existing proofs of concept, test and validate these algorithms with lab and on-sky data, and deploy the software systems on the MagAO-X and SCExAO instruments. These two extreme-AO coronagraphic instruments share a common software framework and there is collaboration between the instrument teams. This system will be deployed so that users can use it to reduce their data to achieve the highest possible sensitivity at small separations. Making a telemetry-based post-processing system available on current generation instruments will dramatically improve their sensitivity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

成像外行星受到挑战。行星通常比东道主明星要比东道主明星十亿至一十亿次。拍摄此类行星的照片几乎需要完美的光控制光。星光使用称为“ Coronagraphs”的光学设备被阻止。地面望远镜必须处理地球大气中湍流的其他问题。湍流使恒星闪烁，望远镜使用一种称为“自适应光学器件”的技术消除了这一闪烁。最后，执行图像处理以在噪声中找到系外行星信号。当前的仪器不会对最微弱的行星进行成像，因为它们受到“ Specckles”的限制，这些行星是由上述所有步骤中不完美创造的。但是，当分析此类图像时，并非当前使用所有可用信息。几乎所有图像处理方法仅使用科学图像本身。这会产生许多偏见和文物。尤其如此，可以找到大多数行星的恒星。该项目的目的是通过使用所有组合信息来查找更多行星。软件将为两种现有仪器编写，天文学家将使用它们来分析其图像。该软件将被编写为易于使用，并免费提供给天文学家。学生将参与两个参与机构。迄今为止，系外行星的直接成像表征仅限于年轻，热和庞大的行星，该行星离恒星相对较远。由于它们在形成后继续冷却时，因此可以观察到这样的行星。如果可以改善内部工作角度，则可以观察到更多的行星。此外，提高高对比度成像的敏感性极限将使狂热者的较低质量行星的表征能够表征。实现更敏感的后处理的关键是使用现代高对比度成像系统中的波前传感器（WFSS）套件仅记录的数据。这些包括主要的高阶WF以及冠状动脉低阶和焦平面WFS。在博士后研究人员的协助下，研究人员将根据现有的概念证明，测试和验证这些算法，通过实验室和天上数据来实施算法，并在Magao-X和Scexao仪器上部署软件系统。这两种极端的冠状仪器具有共同的软件框架，并且在乐器团队之间进行了协作。该系统将被部署，以便用户可以使用它来减少其数据，以在小分离下实现最高的灵敏度。在当前一代工具上提供基于遥测的后处理系统将显着提高其敏感性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，被视为通过评估来获得珍贵的支持。