Experimental demonstration of a crossed cubes nuller for coronagraphy and interferometry

François Hénault; Brahim Arezki; Guillaume Bourdarot; Alain Spang

doi:10.1117/12.2231279

4 August 2016 Experimental demonstration of a crossed cubes nuller for coronagraphy and interferometry

François Hénault, Brahim Arezki, Guillaume Bourdarot, Alain Spang

Proceedings Volume 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V; 99072H (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231279
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract

In this communication we present the first experimental results obtained on the Crossed-cubes nuller (CCN), that is a new type of Achromatic phase shifter (APS) based on a pair of crossed beamsplitter cubes. We review the general principle of the CCN, now restricted to two interferometric outputs for achieving better performance, and describe the experimental apparatus developed in our laboratory. It is cheap, compact, and easy to align. The results demonstrate a high extinction rate in monochromatic light and confirm that the device is insensitive to its polarization state. Finally, the first lessons from the experiment are summarized and discussed in view of future space missions searching for extrasolar planets located in the habitable zone, either based on a coronagraphic telescope or a sparse-aperture nulling interferometer.

Citation Download Citation

François Hénault, Brahim Arezki, Guillaume Bourdarot, and Alain Spang "Experimental demonstration of a crossed cubes nuller for coronagraphy and interferometry", Proc. SPIE 9907, Optical and Infrared Interferometry and Imaging V, 99072H (4 August 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2231279

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