Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory
Although many exoplanets have been indirectly detected in recent years, direct imaging of them with ground-based telescopes remains challenging. In the presence of atmospheric fluctuations, it is ambitious to resolve the high brightness contrasts at the small angular separation between the star and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acabc1 |
| _version_ | 1797697235537887232 |
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| author | J. Roth G. Li Causi V. Testa P. Arras T. A. Ensslin |
| author_facet | J. Roth G. Li Causi V. Testa P. Arras T. A. Ensslin |
| author_sort | J. Roth |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although many exoplanets have been indirectly detected in recent years, direct imaging of them with ground-based telescopes remains challenging. In the presence of atmospheric fluctuations, it is ambitious to resolve the high brightness contrasts at the small angular separation between the star and its potential partners. Post-processing of telescope images has become an essential tool to improve the resolvable contrast ratios. This paper contributes a post-processing algorithm for fast-cadence imaging, which deconvolves sequences of telescope images. The algorithm infers a Bayesian estimate of the astronomical object, as well as the atmospheric optical path length, including its spatial and temporal structures. For this, we utilize physics-inspired models for the object, the atmosphere, and the telescope. The algorithm is computationally expensive but allows us to resolve high contrast ratios despite short observation times and no field rotation. We test the performance of the algorithm with pointlike companions synthetically injected into a real data set acquired with the SHARK-VIS pathfinder instrument at the LBT telescope. Sources with brightness ratios down to 6 × 10 ^−4 to the star are detected at 185 mas separation with a short observation time of 0.6 s. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:37:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12eccbd98db349c7a23e9650bd50ea93 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T03:37:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-12eccbd98db349c7a23e9650bd50ea932023-09-03T13:08:00ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812023-01-0116538610.3847/1538-3881/acabc1Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field TheoryJ. Roth0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8873-8215G. Li Causi1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9539-2112V. Testa2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1033-1340P. Arras3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5226-1171T. A. Ensslin4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5246-1624Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics , Karl-Schwarzschildstr. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany ; roth@mpa-garching.mpg.de; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Geschwister-Scholl Platz 1, D-80539 Munich, GermanyINAF—National Institute for Astrophysics Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziale , Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma, Italy; INAF—National Institute for Astrophysics Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Rome), ItalyINAF—National Institute for Astrophysics Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma , Via Frascati 33, I-00078 Monte Porzio Catone (Rome), ItalyMax Planck Institute for Astrophysics , Karl-Schwarzschildstr. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany ; roth@mpa-garching.mpg.de; Technische Universität München (TUM) , Boltzmannstr. 3, D-85748 Garching, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Astrophysics , Karl-Schwarzschildstr. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany ; roth@mpa-garching.mpg.de; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , Geschwister-Scholl Platz 1, D-80539 Munich, GermanyAlthough many exoplanets have been indirectly detected in recent years, direct imaging of them with ground-based telescopes remains challenging. In the presence of atmospheric fluctuations, it is ambitious to resolve the high brightness contrasts at the small angular separation between the star and its potential partners. Post-processing of telescope images has become an essential tool to improve the resolvable contrast ratios. This paper contributes a post-processing algorithm for fast-cadence imaging, which deconvolves sequences of telescope images. The algorithm infers a Bayesian estimate of the astronomical object, as well as the atmospheric optical path length, including its spatial and temporal structures. For this, we utilize physics-inspired models for the object, the atmosphere, and the telescope. The algorithm is computationally expensive but allows us to resolve high contrast ratios despite short observation times and no field rotation. We test the performance of the algorithm with pointlike companions synthetically injected into a real data set acquired with the SHARK-VIS pathfinder instrument at the LBT telescope. Sources with brightness ratios down to 6 × 10 ^−4 to the star are detected at 185 mas separation with a short observation time of 0.6 s.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acabc1Exoplanet astronomyExoplanet detection methodsDirect imagingExoplanetsHigh angular resolution |
| spellingShingle | J. Roth G. Li Causi V. Testa P. Arras T. A. Ensslin Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory The Astronomical Journal Exoplanet astronomy Exoplanet detection methods Direct imaging Exoplanets High angular resolution |
| title | Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory |
| title_full | Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory |
| title_fullStr | Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory |
| title_short | Fast-cadence High-contrast Imaging with Information Field Theory |
| title_sort | fast cadence high contrast imaging with information field theory |
| topic | Exoplanet astronomy Exoplanet detection methods Direct imaging Exoplanets High angular resolution |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acabc1 |
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