Vortex coronagraphs for space-based telescopes

The main aim of this project is to design and produce coronagraph for use in space-based telescopes.

Recently we have successfully designed and installed diamond coronagraphs in world leading ground-based telescopes (e.g. Very Large Telescope) to search for exoplanets.

Going to space-based telescopes will increase the probability of finding small exoplanets by direct detection, but it will require completely new types of coronagraphs with much higher performance.

In this proposed project we will realize this by designing and fabricating coronagraphs based on meta-surfaces, mainly in diamond, with a focus on possible installation in NASA’s future Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).

The first year will largely be spent on calculating and designing a set of coronagraphs, and setting up for optical evaluation. Following this, efforts will be will be on process optimization to realize the meta-surfaces.

In parallel, we will also work on a new type of coronagraph that is less sensitive to observational errors, for use in the ground-based telescope Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). The applicants will perform the design, fabrication, and the major part of the optical testing.

Further optical evaluation and installation in telescopes will be done together with colleagues in Belgium, France and the USA.The new coronagraphs, once installed in HWO and ELT, will make it possible to detect planets as small as the Earth in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri and other nearby star systems.