PALM-3000 for Exoplanet Direct Imaging and Spectroscopy

PALM-3000 用于系外行星直接成像和光谱学

• 批准号: 1007046
• 负责人: Richard Dekany
• 金额: $ 114万
• 依托单位: California Institute of Technology
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2013-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1007046&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PALM; 3000; Exoplanet; Direct; Imaging

The study of planets orbiting stars other than the Sun requires instruments of the highest performance and technology. To actually image an exoplanet, one has to greatly reduce the glare of the host star, which often outshines the reflected light off the planet by a factor of 10^7 or more. The PALM-3000 system being constructed by Dr. Richard Dekany at the California Institute of Technology plans on accomplishing these goals using an adaptive optics (AO) system of the highest order, with a 3000+ actuator deformable mirror, attached to the Palomar 5-m telescope. The region of highest sensitivity with this instrument is an unusually large 3 arcseconds in radius, allowing access to several systems whose planets have already been inferred to orbit in this zone by radial velocity studies.Despite the modest aperture of the 5-m telescope by today's standards, the large coronagraphic field of view of the PALM-3000 is joined by a smaller actuator pitch angle and visible-light operation in making the instrument uniquely capable among AO imaging systems. The fact that significant amounts of time are available on the 5-m telescope further enhances the value of the instrument. Palomar Observatory has proven to be an excellent experimental platform for students and postdoctoral scholars to develop new AO techniques, with 21 research students and 4 postdocs since 1999, and they continue to express a commitment to hands-on training of the next-generation of astronomical researchers. Funding for this work is being provided by NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences through its Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation program.

研究围绕太阳以外的恒星运行的行星需要最高性能和技术的仪器。 要真正拍摄系外行星，必须大大降低主星星的眩光，主恒星的眩光往往比行星反射的光线强10^7倍或更多。 由加州理工学院的Richard Dekany博士正在建造的PALM-3000系统计划使用最高阶的自适应光学（AO）系统来实现这些目标，该系统具有3000多个致动器可变形反射镜，连接到Palomar 5米望远镜。 这台仪器的最高灵敏度区域是一个半径为3角秒的异常大的区域，允许进入几个系统，这些系统的行星已经通过径向速度研究推断在这个区域内运行。PALM-3000的大日冕视野与较小的致动器俯仰角相结合，光操作，使仪器在AO成像系统中具有独特的能力。 事实上，5米望远镜有大量的时间可以利用，这进一步提高了该仪器的价值。 Palomar天文台已被证明是学生和博士后学者开发新AO技术的优秀实验平台，自1999年以来有21名研究生和4名博士后，他们继续表示致力于下一代天文学研究人员的实践培训。 这项工作的资金由NSF的天文科学部通过其先进技术和仪器计划提供。