François Hénault

Optical design, fabrication, and testing a prototype of the NIRSpec IFU

A group of European Research Institutes (Centre de Recherche Astronomique de Lyon (CRAL), Laboratoire dAstrophysique de Marseille (LAM), University of Durham) and company (CYBERNETIX) have proposed to implement an Integral Field Unit (IFU) in NIRSpec instrument for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). After a brief presentation of the optical design of NIRSpec IFU, we will focus on the prototype of this module built by CRAL. This prototype is composed of two optical elements: a stack of eleven spherical tilted slices associated with a row of ten spherical tilted pupil mirrors. All the optical elements were manufactured by CYBERNETIX. We will introduce the fabrication procedures and an original method of assembling by molecular adhesion in order to comply with environment specifications. Afterwards, the image slicer is tested on the optical bench at CRAL. In fact, the first measure consists in placing a CCD camera in the pupil mirrors plane and determining the characteristics of the eleven images of the telescope pupil such as sizes, positions, photometric quality, diffraction effects and angular errors on slices and comparing these results with specifications. Then, the row of pupil mirrors is installed on the optical bench. In the slit mirrors plane, we observe a pseudo slit (ten images of the slices). We establish the same characteristics as in the first measure. Moreover, in the same plane, some Point Spread Function (PSF) measurements are made and we analyse the PSF in comparison with the simulation. The main results of the tests of the first image slicer prototype are presented. With the exploitation of the results, we validate and improve the image slicer systems for others instruments such as Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE, study of a second generation instrument for the European Very Large Telescope (VLT)) and the European Space Agency (ESA) Integral Field Spectrograph (IFS) prototype.

Optical design, manufacturing, and tests of the MUSE image slicer

MUSE (Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer) is a second generation integral field spectrograph proposed to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) for the VLT. MUSE combines a 1 x 1 Field of View (FoV) with a spectral resolution going to 3000 and a spatial resolution of 0.2 provided by the GALACSI adaptive optics system. MUSE is operating in the visible and near IR wavelength range (0.465-0.93 μm). It is composed of 24 identical integral field units; each one incorporates an advanced image slicer made of a combination of mirrors and mini-lenses arrays. During the feasibility study, a slicer prototype has been designed, manufactured and tested. This paper firstly describes an original approach for the slicer optical design and manufacturing. Then, we will focus on the optical tests of the prototype. These tests included the control of the angular tilts and assembling method of the slicer, the measurements of the position, size and shape of the pseudo-slits, the measurements of the Point Spread Function (PSF) for the slice-slit imagery on the whole FoV and an estimation of the size of the global exit pupil. We finally conclude on the feasibility of MUSE image slicer and its possible improvement for the next design phase.

Design of light concentrators for Cherenkov telescope observatories

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will be the largest cosmic gamma ray detector ever built in the world. It will be installed at two different sites in the North and South hemispheres and should be operational for about 30 years. In order to cover the desired energy range, the CTA is composed of typically 50-100 collecting telescopes of various sizes (from 6 to 24-m diameters). Most of them are equipped with a focal plane camera consisting of 1500 to 2000 Photomultipliers (PM) equipped with light concentrating optics, whose double function is to maximize the amount of Cherenkov light detected by the photo-sensors, and to block any stray light originating from the terrestrial environment. Two different optical solutions have been designed, respectively based on a Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC), and on a purely dioptric concentrating lens. In this communication are described the technical specifications, optical designs and performance of the different solutions envisioned for all these light concentrators. The current status of their prototyping activities is also given.

Analysis of nulling phase functions suitable to image plane coronagraphy

Coronagraphy is a very efficient technique for identifying and characterizing extra-solar planets orbiting in the habitable zone of their parent star, especially in a space environment. An important family of coronagraphs is actually based on phase plates located at an intermediate image plane of the optical system, and spreading the starlight outside the Lyot exit pupil plane of the instrument. In this commutation we present a set of candidate phase functions generating a central null at the Lyot plane, and study how it propagates to the image plane of the coronagraph. These functions include linear azimuthal phase ramps (the well-known optical vortex), azimuthally cosine-modulated phase profiles, and circular phase gratings. Nnumerical simulations of the expected null depth, inner working angle, sensitivity to pointing errors, effect of central obscuration located at the pupil or image planes, and effective throughput including image mask and Lyot stop transmissions are presented and discussed. The preliminary conclusion is that azimuthal cosine functions appear as an interesting alternative to the classical optical vortex of integer topological charge.

Fully achromatic nulling interferometer (FANI) for high SNR exoplanet characterization

Space-borne nulling interferometers have long been considered as the best option for searching and characterizing extrasolar planets located in the habitable zone of their parent stars. Solutions for achieving deep starlight extinction are now numerous and well demonstrated. However they essentially aim at realizing an achromatic central null in order to extinguish the star. In this communication is described a major improvement of the technique, where the achromatization process is extended to the entire fringe pattern. Therefore higher Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and appreciable simplification of the detection system should result. The basic principle of this Fully achromatic nulling interferometer (FANI) consists in inserting dispersive elements along the arms of the interferometer. Herein this principle is explained and illustrated by a preliminary optical system design. The typical achievable performance and limitations are discussed and some initial tolerance requirements are also provided.

System analysis and expected performance of a high-contrast module for HARMONI

HARMONI is a first-light visible and near-IR integral field spectrograph of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) which will sit on top of Cerro Armazones, Chile. A Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics (SCAO) subsystem will provide diffraction-limited spectro-images in a Nyquist-sampled 0.61 x 0.86 arcsec field of view, with a R=3000-20000 spectral resolution. Inside the instrument, a High Contrast Module (HCM) could give HARMONI the ability to spectrally characterize young giant exoplanets (and disks) with flux ratio down to 10−6 as close as 100-200mas from their star. This would be achieved with an apodized pupil coronagraph to attenuate the diffracted light of the star and limit the dynamic range on the detector, and an internal ZELDA wavefront sensor to calibrate non-common path aberrations, assuming that the surface quality of the relay optics of HARMONI satisfy specific requirements. This communication presents (a) the system analysis that was conducted to converge towards these requirement, and the proposed HCM design, (b) an end-to-end simulation tool that has been built to produce realistic datacubes of hour-long observations, and (c) the estimated performance of the HCM, which has been derived by applying differential imaging techniques on the simulated data.

Opto-mechanical design of a High Contrast Module (HCM) for HARMONI

HARMONI is a first-light visible and near-IR integral field spectrograph of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) which will sit on top of Cerro Armazones, Chile. A Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics (SCAO) sub-system will provide diffraction-limited spectral images in a Nyquist-sampled 0.61 × 0.86 arcsec field of view, with a R=3000-20000 spectral resolution. Inside the instrument, a High Contrast Module (HCM) will add an essential high-contrast imaging capability for HARMONI to spectrally characterize young giant exoplanets and disks with flux ratio down to 1e-6 at 0.1-0.2” from their star. The HCM uses an apodized pupil coronagraph to lower the intensity of the diffracted starlight and limit the dynamic range on the detector, and an internal wavefront sensor to calibrate non-common path aberrations. This communication first summarizes the basic technical requirements of the HCM, then describes its optical and mechanical designs, and presents expected performance in terms of achievable contrast, image quality and throughput. Elements of the development and test program are also given.

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 extrasolar 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. fourquadrants and vortex phase masks.

Testing light concentrators prototypes for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

With more than 30 Medium-Size Telescopes (MST) located in both North and South hemispheres, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) shall be the largest cosmic gamma ray detector ever built. Each MST focal plane consists in an array of some 1800 photomultipliers equipped with their own light concentrating optics in order to maximizing the amount of Cherenkov radiation collected by the telescope and to block stray light originating from ground environment. Within the CTA Consortium, the Institut de Planétologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) is in charge of designing, subcontracting the realization to industry, and testing the MST light concentrators. Two different optical solutions were pre-selected, respectively based on CPCs (Winston cones) and non-imaging concentrating lenses. Prototypes were manufactured by different industrial companies and tested in our laboratory on a test bench specifically built for the project. After shortly describing both optical designs, this communication is essentially focused at experimental results. Each type of concentrator has been submitted to extensive performance measurements, including radiometric efficiency at different wavelengths, rejection curves, and qualitative shape error test. The final selected concentrator is the CPC, although non-imaging lenses exhibit interesting properties in terms of radiometric performance.

Collimating slicer for optical integral field spectroscopy

Integral Field Spectroscopy (IFS) is a technique that gives simultaneously the spectrum of each spatial sampling element of a given field. It is a powerful tool which rearranges the data cube represented by two spatial dimensions defining the field and the spectral decomposition (x, y, λ) in a detector plane. In IFS, the spatial unit reorganizes the field, the spectral unit is being composed of a classical spectrograph. For the spatial unit, three main techniques – microlens array, microlens array associated with fibres and image slicer – are used in astronomical instrumentations. The development of a Collimating Slicer is to propose a new type of optical integral field spectroscopy which should be more compact. The main idea is to combine the image slicer with the collimator of the spectrograph mixing the spatial and spectral units. The traditional combination of slicer, pupil and slit elements and spectrograph collimator is replaced by a new one composed of a slicer and spectrograph collimator only. After testing few configurations, this new system looks very promising for low resolution spectrographs. In this paper, the state of art of integral field spectroscopy using image slicers will be described. The new system based onto the development of a Collimating Slicer for optical integral field spectroscopy will be depicted. First system analysis results and future improvements will be discussed.