Nearby Exoplanet Imaging Enabled by Active Speckle-Nulling Control Algorithms

克里斯蒂娜戴维斯被授予NSF天文学和天体物理学博士后奖学金，在圣巴巴拉的加州大学进行研究和教育计划。 戴维斯将开发技术，以大大提高与地面光学望远镜使用的探测器的对比度。 这些增强功能将使“系外行星”或太阳系外行星的图像变得非常清晰。 这种新的能力应该会大大增加在附近恒星周围探测到的系外行星的数量。 戴维斯还将开发课程和实践活动，将向高中生介绍物理学原理和先进的天文仪器。通过开发微波动力学电感探测器（MKID）技术，该项目旨在将系外行星自适应光学成像的对比度提高近两个数量级。 戴维斯将通过开发算法来实现这一目标，该算法使用原始数据流来校正仪器控制回路，从而消除大气“斑点”，从而降低现有图像的对比度。 通过提高观测中的原始对比度，该项目将改进现有地面望远镜进行的系外行星勘测的产出。 戴维斯还将为高中生开设有关光转化为电能和共振现象的课程。 她将利用这些课程吸引当地高中的学生，并举办教师培训研讨会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Kristina Davis is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Davis will develop techniques to drastically enhance the contrast of detectors used with ground-based optical telescopes. The enhancements will enable very sharp images of, for example, "exoplanets", or planets outside our solar system. This new capability should significantly increase the number of exoplanets detected around nearby stars. Davis will also develop lessons and hands-on activities that will introduce high school students to principles of physics and advanced astronomical instrumentation.By developing Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector (MKID) technology, this project seeks to increase by nearly two orders of magnitude the contrast ratio of adaptive optics imaging of exoplanets. Davis will accomplish this by developing algorithms that use the raw data stream to make corrections to the instrument control loop and thus cancel atmospheric 'speckles', which reduce the contrast of existing images. By increasing the raw contrast level in observations, this project will improve the output of exoplanet surveys carried out by existing ground-based telescopes. Davis will also develop lessons for high school students on the conversion of light into electrical energy and on the phenomenon of resonance. She will use these lessons to engage students at local high schools and conduct teacher training workshops.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.