Erkin Sidick

Efficient broadband second-harmonic generation by dispersive achromatic nonlinear conversion using only prisms

Using a lossless dispersive apparatus consisting of six prisms, optimized to match a second-harmonic crystal phase-matching angle versus wavelength to second order, we efficiently doubled tunable fundamental light near 660 nm over a range of 80 nm, using a 4-mm-long type I beta -barium borate crystal without tuning the crystal angle. Another set of six prisms after the crystal realigned the propagation directions of the various second-harmonic frequencies to be collinear to within 1/4 spot diameter in position and 200microrad in angle. The measured conversion efficiency of a 40-mJ, 5-ns fundamental pulse was 10%.

Achromatic phase matching for tunable second-harmonic generation by use of a grism

Achromatic phase matching (APM) involves dispersing the light entering a nonlinear-optical crystal so that a wide range of wavelengths is simultaneously phase matched. Using an APM arrangement consisting of a grism (a grating on the surface of a prism) and three prisms, optimized to match a second-harmonic crystal phase-matching angle versus wavelength to high order, we efficiently doubled tunable fundamental light near 650nm with a bandwidth of >95 nm by use of a 4-mm type I beta-barium borate crystal. APM uses no moving parts, and unlike previous APM designs, ours avoids lenses and hence is easy to align and insensitive to translational misalignment of the beam.

Adaptive cross-correlation algorithm for extended scene Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensing

We present an adaptive cross-correlation algorithm for a large dynamic range extended-scene Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor. We show that it accurately measures very fine image shifts over many pixels under a variety of practical imaging conditions.

Low-order wavefront sensing and control for WFIRST-AFTA coronagraph

Abstract. To maintain the required Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST) coronagraph performance in a realistic space environment, a low-order wavefront sensing and control (LOWFS/C) subsystem is necessary. The LOWFS/C uses the rejected stellar light from the coronagraph to sense and suppress the telescope pointing errors as well as low-order wavefront errors (WFEs) due to changes in thermal loading of the telescope and the rest of the observatory. We will present a conceptual design of a LOWFS/C subsystem for the WFIRST-AFTA coronagraph. This LOWFS/C uses a Zernike phase contrast wavefront sensor (ZWFS) with a phase shifting disk combined with the stellar light rejecting occulting masks, a key concept to minimize the noncommon path error. We will present our analysis of the sensor performance and evaluate the performance of the line-of-sight jitter suppression loop, as well as the low-order WFE correction loop with a deformable mirror on the coronagraph. We will also report the LOWFS/C testbed design and the preliminary in-air test results, which show a very promising performance of the ZWFS.

Phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph mask fabrication, characterization, and modeling for WFIRST-AFTA

Abstract. This work describes the fabrication, characterization, and modeling of a second-generation occulting mask for a phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph, designed for use on the WFIRST-AFTA mission. The mask has many small features (∼micron lateral scales) and was fabricated at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Microdevices Laboratory, then characterized using a scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, and optical interferometric microscope. The measured fabrication errors were then fed to a wavefront control model which predicts the contrast performance of a full coronagraph. The expected coronagraphic performance using this mask is consistent with observing ∼15 planetary targets with WFIRST-AFTA in a reasonable time (<1  day/target).

Hybrid Lyot coronagraph for WFIRST: high-contrast broadband testbed demonstration

Hybrid Lyot Coronagraph (HLC) is one of the two operating modes of the Wide-Field InfraRed Survey Telescope (WFIRST) coronagraph instrument. Since being selected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in December 2013, the coronagraph technology is being matured to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 by 2018. To demonstrate starlight suppression in presence of expecting on-orbit input wavefront disturbances, we have built a dynamic testbed in Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in 2016. This testbed, named as Occulting Mask Coronagraph (OMC) testbed, is designed analogous to the WFIRST flight instrument architecture: It has both HLC and Shape Pupil Coronagraph (SPC) architectures, and also has the Low Order Wavefront Sensing and Control (LOWFS/C) subsystem to sense and correct the dynamic wavefront disturbances. We present upto-date progress of HLC mode demonstration in the OMC testbed. SPC results will be reported separately. We inject the flight-like Line of Sight (LoS) and Wavefront Error (WFE) perturbation to the OMC testbed and demonstrate wavefront control using two deformable mirrors while the LOWFS/C is correcting those perturbation in our vacuum testbed. As a result, we obtain repeatable convergence below 5 × 10−9 mean contrast with 10% broadband light centered at 550 nm in the 360 degrees dark hole with working angle between 3 λ/D and 9 λ/D. We present the key hardware and software used in the testbed, the performance results and their comparison to model expectations.

Dynamic testbed demonstration of WFIRST coronagraph low order wavefront sensing and control (LOWFS/C)

To maintain the required performance of WFIRST Coronagraph in a realistic space environment, a Low Order Wavefront Sensing and Control (LOWFS/C) subsystem is necessary. The LOWFS/C uses a Zernike wavefront sensor (ZWFS) with the phase shifting disk combined with the starlight rejecting occulting mask. For wavefront error corrections, WFIRST LOWFS/C uses a fast steering mirror (FSM) for line-of-sight (LoS) correction, a focusing mirror for focus drift correction, and one of the two deformable mirrors (DM) for other low order wavefront error (WFE) correction. As a part of technology development and demonstration for WFIRST Coronagraph, a dedicated Occulting Mask Coronagraph (OMC) testbed has been built and commissioned. With its configuration similar to the WFIRST flight coronagraph instrument the OMC testbed consists of two coronagraph modes, Shaped Pupil Coronagraph (SPC) and Hybrid Lyot Coronagraph (HLC), a low order wavefront sensor (LOWFS), and an optical telescope assembly (OTA) simulator which can generate realistic LoS drift and jitter as well as low order wavefront error that would be induced by the WFIRST telescope’s vibration and thermal changes. In this paper, we will introduce the concept of WFIRST LOWFS/C, describe the OMC testbed, and present the testbed results of LOWFS sensor performance. We will also present our recent results from the dynamic coronagraph tests in which we have demonstrated of using LOWFS/C to maintain the coronagraph contrast with the presence of WFIRST-like line-of-sight and low order wavefront disturbances.

Requirements on optical density and phase dispersion of imperfect band-limited occulting masks in a broadband coronagraph

We investigate the effects of the parasitic phase of imperfect band-limited occulting masks on the broadband contrast performance of a high-contrast imaging system through modeling and simulations. We also examine the effects of the phase and the optical-density dispersions of occulting masks whose parasitic phase has been compensated at the center wavelength but is nonzero at other wavelengths. Two types of occulting masks are considered: gray-scale masks such as those made on a high-energy beam-sensitive glass, and recently proposed spatially profiled metal masks, both having 1D Sinc2(linear-Sinc2) amplitude transmission coefficient (Sinc4 intensity transmittance) profiles. We determine the conditions for obtaining 1x10(-9) and 1x10(-10) contrast values with a light centered at a 785 nm wavelength and having a 10% bandwidth in a coronagraphic telescope having ideal optical surfaces but imperfect band-limited image-plane occulting masks.

Behavior of imperfect band-limited coronagraphic masks in a high-contrast imaging system

We investigate the behavior of imperfect band-limited occulting masks in a high-contrast imaging system through modeling and simulations. Grayscale masks having 1D Sinc(2) (linear-Sinc(2)) amplitude transmission coefficient (Sinc(4) intensity transmittance) profiles as well as optical density and wavelength-dependent parasitic phases are considered occulters. We compare the behaviors of several, slightly different occulter transmittance profiles by evaluating the contrast performance of the high-contrast imaging testbed (HCIT) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). These occulters include a measured occulter, a standard Sinc(2) occulter, and several of its variations. We show that when an occulting mask has a parasitic phase, a modified Sinc(2) transmittance profile works much better than the standard Sinc(2) mask. We examine the impact of some fabrication errors of the occulter on the HCITs contrast performance. We find through modeling and simulations that starlight suppression by a factor of more than 10(10) is achievable at least monochromatically on the HCIT with the occulting mask and the optics currently being used on the testbed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that we investigate the behavior of a real (or fabricated) focal plane occulting mask in a high-contrast imaging system. We also briefly describe the approach used at JPL in fabricating a grayscale occulting mask and characterizing its transmittance and phase profiles.

Fast linearized coronagraph optimizer (FALCO) I: a software toolbox for rapid coronagraphic design and wavefront correction

The Fast Linearized Coronagraph Optimizer (FALCO) is an open-source toolbox of routines for coronagraphic focal plane wavefront correction. The goal of FALCO is to provide a free, modular framework for the simulation or testbed operation of several common types of coronagraphs. FALCO includes routines for pair-wise probing estimation of the complex electric field and Electric Field Conjugation (EFC) control, and we ask the community to contribute other wavefront correction algorithms. FALCO utilizes and builds upon PROPER, an established optical propagation library. The key innovation in FALCO is the rapid computation of the linearized response matrix for each deformable mirror (DM), which facilitates re-linearization after each control step for faster DM-integrated coronagraph design and wavefront correction experiments. FALCO is freely available as source code in MATLAB at github.com/ajeldorado/falco-matlab and will be available later this year in Python 3 at github.com/ajeldorado/falco-python.