Coronagraphic data post-processing using projections on instrumental modes

High contrast astronomy has yielded the direct observations of over a dozen exoplanets and a multitude of brown dwarfs and circumstellar disks. Despite advances in coronagraphy and wavefront control, high contrast observations are still plagued by residual wavefront aberrations. Post-processing techniques can provide an additional boost in separating residual aberrations from an astrophysical signal. This work explores using a coronagraph instrument model to guide post-processing. We consider the propagation of signals and wavefront error through a coronagraphic instrument, and approach the post-processing problem using "robust observables." We model and approximate the instrument response function of a classical Lyot coronagraph (CLC) and find from it a projection that removes the dominant error modes.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Xin, Yeyuan(Yeyuan Yinzi)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Kerri Cahoy.

• Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127114

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/127114