Periodic Reporting for period 4 - FALCONER (Forging Advanced Liquid-Crystal Coronagraphs Optimized for Novel Exoplanet Research)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2020-10-01 do 2021-03-31
Moreover, we have applied the same liquid-crystal technology to develop the optimal vector-Zernike wavefront sensor, Holographic Aperture Masking spectroscopic interferometry (installed at Keck/OSIRIS), and novel polarimetric approaches for remote-sensing of life.
In addition, the FALCONER team has provided the first 3-4 um spectra of HR8799 c,d,e with the vAPP360 at LBT, has provided the first direct discovery of a polarization signal of a substellar companion (DH Tau b; due to the presence of a circumplanetary disk), and has contributed to the direct detections of exoplanets YSES1b&c and YSES2b. Finally, FALCONER researchers have developed new polarimetric techniques and instrumentations for the unambiguous discovery of life through the circular polarization signatures of homochiral biomolecules, and are building instruments for the ISS and a lunar lander to test these techniques on planet Earth.
We have invented a number of novel optical techniques for high-contrast imaging: the multiple-grating technique to suppress leakage light in vector-APP and Vector Vortex Coronagraphs by orders of magnitude, the vector-Zernike wavefront sensor that simultaneously measures phase and amplitude aberrations. Both techniques are highly promising for future space telescopes that will be able to perform direct observations of potentially habitable exoplanets orbiting solar-type stars.
We have invented "Holographic Amplitude Masking" that offers multiplexed spectroscopic interferometry, and have successfully implemented and commissioned this at Keck.
With VLT/SPHERE we have performed a polarimetric survey of known companions (indicating circumplanetary dust structure or structured clouds), which has led to the first detection (DH Tau b), and upper limits for the HR8799 planets.
We have developed novel polarimetric measurement techniques and instruments for remote detection of life. After successful demonstration in the field of circular spectropolarimetry as an unambiguous indicator of homochirality, we are building the LSDpol and LOUPE instruments to perform spectropolarimetry of the entire Earth from the ISS and the Moon, respectively.
See also https://issuu.com/euresearcher/docs/falconer_eur23_h_res and https://exoplanet-talks.org/talk/160