2015/11/19 by John H. Debes, Debes, John H., Marie Ygouf +17
Physics and Astronomy · #Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP) #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1511.06277
openalex publication_date 2015/11/19 · openalex created_date 2022/10/02 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The coronagraphic instrument currently proposed for the WFIRST-AFTA mission\nwill be the first example of a space-based coronagraph optimized for extremely\nhigh contrasts that are required for the direct imaging of exoplanets\nreflecting the light of their host star. While the design of this instrument is\nstill in progress, this early stage of development is a particularly beneficial\ntime to consider the operation of such an instrument. In this paper, we review\ncurrent or planned operations on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James\nWebb Space Telescope (JWST) with a focus on which operational aspects will have\nrelevance to the planned WFIRST-AFTA coronagraphic instrument. We identify five\nkey aspects of operations that will require attention: 1) detector health and\nevolution, 2) wavefront control, 3) observing strategies/post-processing, 4)\nastrometric precision/target acquisition, and 5) polarimetry. We make\nsuggestions on a path forward for each of these items.\n