arXiv subjects

Christophe Vérinaud

Publications and source records attributed to Christophe Vérinaud.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Modelling Fourier filtering wavefront sensors for PSD-based methods: the AOPERA tool

Compensation of the atmospheric turbulence thanks to adaptive optics (AO) has now become commonly used for VLT or ELT class telescopes in order to retrieve a resolution close to their diffraction limit. Following the increasing trend of AO system, there is also a stronger necessity for simulations in order to understand and predict their performance facing different observing conditions, that are the evolution of the atmospheric turbulence or the diversity of AO guide source. The so-called PSD based methods are well adapted to the demand thanks to their simplicity and speed. Moreover, they provide a comprehensive breakdown error budget and impact on focal plane, that is of high interest especially in the case of extreme adaptive optics. Their drawback is the challenge to describe non-linear wavefront sensors (WFS) such as the pyramid WFS or the Zernike WFS. There is a necessity to develop fast yet accurate methods to describe the behaviour of AO systems including sensitive WFS. We thus develop a method to compute the AO system response (electromagnetic phase power spectral density, and point spread function) including the non-linear behaviour of the wavefront sensor within PSD-based numerical tools. Mathematical formalism to describe the FF-WFS sensitivity combined to non-linearity management greatly improve the accuracy of description of AO systems through numerical simulations. After a mathematical description of the method, its numerical implementation is compared with end-to-end simulations using the OOPAO tool. Indeed end-to-end simulations are reproducing the response of AO systems with high fidelity, especially regarding WFS sensitivity and non-linearity. Similarity of results for the fitting error, temporal error and noise error proves the validity of our method in managing Fourier filtering WFS sensitivity and non-linearity.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2026

Super-resolution wavefront reconstruction in adaptive-optics with pyramid sensors

Super-resolution (SR) refers to a combination of optical design and signal processing techniques jointly employed to obtain reconstructed wave-fronts at a higher-resolution from multiple low-resolution samples, overcoming the intrinsic limitations of the latter. After compelling examples have been provided on multi-Shack-Hartman (SH) wave-front sensor (WFS) adaptive optics systems performing atmospheric tomography with laser guide star probes, we broaden the SR concept to pyramid sensors (PyWFS) with a single sensor and a natural guide star. We revisit the analytic PyWFS diffraction model to claim two aspects: i) that we can reconstruct spatial frequencies beyond the natural Shannon-Nyquist frequency imposed by the detector pixel size and/or ii) that the PyWFS can be used to measure amplitude aberrations (at the origin of scintillation). SR offers the possibility to control a higher actuator density deformable mirror from seemingly fewer samples, the quantification of which is one of the goals of this paper. A super-resolved PyWFS is more resilient to mis-registration, lifts alignment requirements and improves performance (against aliasing and other spurious modes AO systems are poorly sensitive to) with only a factor up to 2 increased real-time computational burden.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Redundant Apodized Pupils (RAP) for high-contrast imagers robust to segmentation-due aberrations and island effects

The imaging and characterization of a larger range of exoplanets, down to young Jupiters and exo-Earths will require accessing very high contrasts at small angular separations with an increased robustness to aberrations, three constraints that drive current instrumentation development. This goal relies on efficient coronagraphs set up on extremely large diameter telescopes such as the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), or the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). However, they tend to be subject to specific aberrations that drastically deteriorate the coronagraph performance: their primary mirror segmentation implies phasing errors or even missing segments, and the size of the telescope imposes large spiders, generating low-wind effect as already observed on the Very Large Telescope (VLT)/SPHERE instrument or at the Subaru telescope, or adaptive-optics-due petaling, studied in simulations in the ELT case. The ongoing development of coronagraphs has then to take into account their sensitivity to such errors. We propose an innovative method to generate coronagraphs robust to primary mirror phasing errors and low-wind and adaptive-optics-due petaling effect. This method is based on the apodization of the segment or petal instead of the entire pupil, this apodization being then repeated to mimic the pupil redundancy. We validate this so-called Redundant Apodized Pupil (RAP) method on a James Webb Space Telescope-like pupil composed of 18 hexagonal segments segments to align, and on the VLT architecture in the case of residual low-wind effect.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Redundant apodization for direct imaging of exoplanets 2: Application to island effects

Telescope pupil fragmentation from spiders generates specific aberrations observed at various telescopes and expected on the large telescopes under construction. This so-called island effect induces differential pistons, tips and tilts on the pupil petals, deforming the instrumental PSF, and is one of the main limitations to the detection of exoplanets with high-contrast imaging. These aberrations have different origins such as the low-wind effect or petaling errors in the adaptive-optics reconstruction. In this paper, we propose to alleviate the impact of the aberrations induced by island effects on high-contrast imaging by adapting the coronagraph design in order to increase its robustness to petal-level aberrations. Following a method first developed for errors due to primary mirror segmentation (segment phasing errors, missing segments...), we develop and test Redundant Apodized Pupils (RAP), i.e. apodizers designed at the petal-scale, then duplicated and rotated to mimic the pupil petal geometry. We apply this concept to the ELT architecture, made of six identical petals, to yield a 10^-6 contrast in a dark region from 8 to 40lambda/D. Both amplitude and phase apodizers proposed in this paper are robust to differential pistons between petals, with minimal degradation to their coronagraphic PSFs and contrast levels. In addition, they are also more robust to petal-level tip-tilt errors than apodizers designed for the whole pupil, with which the limit of contrast of 10^-6 in the coronagraph dark zone is achieved for constraints up to 2 rad RMS of these petal-level modes. The RAP concept proves its robustness to island effects (low-wind effect and post-adaptive optics petaling), with an application to the ELT architecture. It can also be considered for other 8- to 30-meter class ground-based units such as VLT/SPHERE, Subaru/SCExAO, GMT/GMagAO-X, or TMT/PSI.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2017

Phase-shifting coronagraph

With the recent commissioning of ground instruments such as SPHERE or GPI and future space observatories like WFIRST-AFTA, coronagraphy should probably become the most efficient tool for identifying and characterizing extra-solar planets in the forthcoming years. Coronagraphic instruments such as Phase mask coronagraphs (PMC) are usually based on a phase mask or plate located at the telescope focal plane, spreading the starlight outside the diameter of a Lyot stop that blocks it. In this communication is investigated the capability of a PMC to act as a phase-shifting wavefront sensor for better control of the achieved star extinction ratio in presence of the coronagraphic mask. We discuss the two main implementations of the phase-shifting process, either introducing phase-shifts in a pupil plane and sensing intensity variations in an image plane, or reciprocally. Conceptual optical designs are described in both cases. Numerical simulations allow for better understanding of the performance and limitations of both options, and optimizing their fundamental parameters. In particular, they demonstrate that the phase-shifting process is a bit more efficient when implemented into an image plane, and is compatible with the most popular phase masks currently employed, i.e. four-quadrants and vortex phase masks.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2012

Review of small-angle coronagraphic techniques in the wake of ground-based second-generation adaptive optics systems

Small-angle coronagraphy is technically and scientifically appealing because it enables the use of smaller telescopes, allows covering wider wavelength ranges, and potentially increases the yield and completeness of circumstellar environment - exoplanets and disks - detection and characterization campaigns. However, opening up this new parameter space is challenging. Here we will review the four posts of high contrast imaging and their intricate interactions at very small angles (within the first 4 resolution elements from the star). The four posts are: choice of coronagraph, optimized wavefront control, observing strategy, and post-processing methods. After detailing each of the four foundations, we will present the lessons learned from the 10+ years of operations of zeroth and first-generation adaptive optics systems. We will then tentatively show how informative the current integration of second-generation adaptive optics system is, and which lessons can already be drawn from this fresh experience. Then, we will review the current state of the art, by presenting world record contrasts obtained in the framework of technological demonstrations for space-based exoplanet imaging and characterization mission concepts. Finally, we will conclude by emphasizing the importance of the cross-breeding between techniques developed for both ground-based and space-based projects, which is relevant for future high contrast imaging instruments and facilities in space or on the ground.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2010

FFREE: a Fresnel-FRee Experiment for EPICS, the EELT planets imager

The purpose of FFREE - the new optical bench devoted to experiments on high-contrast imaging at LAOG - consists in the validation of algorithms based on off-line calibration techniques and adaptive optics (AO) respectively for the wavefront measurement and its compensation. The aim is the rejection of the static speckles pattern arising in a focal plane after a diffraction suppression system (based on apodization or coronagraphy) by wavefront pre-compensation. To this aim, FFREE has been optimized to minimize Fresnel propagation over a large near infrared (NIR) bandwidth in a way allowing efficient rejection up to the AO control radius, it stands then as a demonstrator for the future implementation of the optics that will be common to the scientific instrumentation installed on EPICS.

physics.optics↗