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| Paper: |
Imaging Extrasolar Planets from the Ground |
| Volume: |
294, Scientific Frontiers in Research on Extrasolar Planets |
| Page: |
543 |
| Authors: |
Angel, R. |
| Abstract: |
An approach to direct imaging of extrasolar planets is described, in which adaptive optics to correct atmospheric aberration are based on interferometric measurements made in the focal plane. In order to minimize the weak, residual speckles of the stellar halo, their complex amplitudes are first determined using photon-counting, spectrally-resolved imaging sensors. Corrections to both the corrugation and intensity of the wavefront are then derived by Fourier transform and applied using a pair of deformable mirrors. In this way the systematic and non-common path errors of pupil wavefront sensing methods are avoided, and the resulting high accuracy correction should allow detection of giant extrasolar planets with existing large telescopes. With new ground-based telescopes of approximately 20 meter or larger aperture, detection and even spectroscopy of nearby earth-like planets should be possible. |
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