A high dynamic-range instrument for SPICA for coronagraphic observation of exoplanets and monitoring of transiting exoplanets
2011
This paper, first, presents introductory reviews of the Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics
(SPICA) mission and the SPICA Coronagraph Instrument (SCI). SPICA will realize a 3m class telescope cooled to
6K in orbit. The launch of SPICA is planned to take place in FY2018. The SPICA mission provides us with a unique
opportunity to make high dynamic-range observations because of its large telescope aperture, high stability, and the
capability for making infrared observations from deep space. The SCI is a high dynamic-range instrument proposed
for SPICA. The primary objectives for the SCI are the direct coronagraphic detection and spectroscopy of Jovian
exoplanets in the infrared region, while the monitoring of transiting planets is another important target owing to the
non-coronagraphic mode of the SCI. Then, recent technical progress and ideas in conceptual studies are presented,
which can potentially enhance the performance of the instrument: the designs of an integral 1-dimensional binary-shaped
pupil mask coronagraph with general darkness constraints, a concentric ring mask considering the obscured
pupil for surveying a wide field, and a spectral disperser for simultaneous wide wavelength coverage, and the first
results of tests of the toughness of MEMS deformable mirrors for the rocket launch are introduced, together with a
description of a passive wavefront correction mirror using no actuator.
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