Explanipedia

Dynamical Analysis of the HD 169142 Planet-forming Disk: Twelve Years of High-contrast Polarimetry Open

Miles Lucas, Michael Bottom, Ruobing Dong, M. Benisty, Mario Flock , et al. · 2025

We present a dynamical analysis of the HD 169142 planet-forming disk based on high-contrast polarimetric imaging over a twelve-year observational period, offering insights into its disk evolution and planet–disk interactions. This study ex…

Dynamical Architectures of S-type Transiting Planets in Binaries II: A Dichotomy in Orbital Alignment of Small Planets in Close Binary Systems Open

Jingwen Zhang, Daniel Huber, Michael Bottom, Lauren M. Weiss, Jerry W. Xuan , et al. · 2025

Stellar multiplicity plays a crucial role in shaping planet formation and dynamical evolution. We present a survey of 54 TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) within 300 pc that exhibit significant Hipparcos-Gaia astrometric accelerations. We id…

PIRATES -- a machine-learning framework for polarized, interferometric image reconstruction Open

Lucinda Lilley, Barnaby Norris, Peter Tuthill, Eckhart Spalding, Miles Lucas , et al. · 2025

Optical interferometric image reconstruction is a challenging, ill-posed optimization problem which usually relies on heavy regularization for convergence. Conventional algorithms regularize in the pixel domain, without cognizance of spati…

Discovery of a Jupiter Analog Misaligned to the Inner Planetary System in HD 73344 Open

Jingwen Zhang, Lauren M. Weiss, Daniel Huber, Jerry W. Xuan, Michael Bottom , et al. · 2025

We present the discovery of a Jupiter-like planet, HD 73344 d ( , au, ) based on 27 yr radial velocity (RV) observations from ELODIE, Lick/Hamilton, SOPHIE, APF, and HIRES. HD 73344 also h…

Progress towards a megapixel linear-mode avalanche photodiode array for ultra-low background shortwave infrared astronomy Open

Charles-Antoine Claveau, Michael Bottom, Shane Jacobson, K. W. Hodapp, Guillaume Huber , et al. · 2024

Spectroscopy of Earth-like exoplanets and ultra-faint galaxies are priority science cases for the coming decades. Here, broadband source flux rates are measured in photons per square meter per hour, imposing extreme demands on detector per…

Stellar Coronagraphy Open

Eugene Serabyn, Michael Bottom · 2024

Detecting exoplanets and other faint sources of emitted and reflected light near a bright star requires deeply suppressing the starlight while efficiently transmitting the dim light from its surroundings. This suppression can be carried ou…

Visible-light High-contrast Imaging and Polarimetry with SCExAO/VAMPIRES Open

Miles Lucas, Barnaby Norris, Olivier Guyon, Michael Bottom, Vincent Déo , et al. · 2024

We present significant upgrades to the Visible Aperture-Masking Polarimetric Imager/Interferometer for Resolving Exoplanetary Signatures (VAMPIRES) instrument, a visible-light (600–800 nm) high-contrast imaging polarimeter integrated withi…

Visible-Light High-Contrast Imaging and Polarimetry with SCExAO/VAMPIRES Open

Miles Lucas, Barnaby Norris, Olivier Guyon, Michael Bottom, Vincent Déo , et al. · 2024

We present significant upgrades to the VAMPIRES instrument, a visible-light (600 nm to 800 nm) high-contrast imaging polarimeter integrated within SCExAO on the Subaru telescope. Key enhancements include new qCMOS detectors, coronagraphs, …

Discovery of a Jupiter Analog Misaligned to the Inner Planetary System in HD 73344 Open

Jingwen Zhang, Lauren M. Weiss, Daniel Huber, Jerry W. Xuan, Michael Bottom , et al. · 2024

We present the discovery of a Jupiter-like planet, HD 73344 d ($m_{d}=2.55^{+0.56}_{-0.46}\ \mathrm{M_{J}}$, $a_{d}=6.70^{+0.25}_{-0.26}$ AU, $e_{d}=0.18^{+0.14}_{-0.12}$) based on 27-year radial velocity observations. HD 73344 also hosts …

A Survey of Protoplanetary Disks Using the Keck/NIRC2 Vortex Coronagraph Open

Nicole L. Wallack, Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, Garreth Ruane, Bin Ren, Jerry W. Xuan , et al. · 2024

Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of protoplanetary disks in the millimeter continuum have shown a variety of radial gaps, cavities, and spiral features. These substructures may be signposts for ongoin…

A Survey of Protoplanetary Disks Using the Keck/NIRC2 Vortex Coronagraph Open

Nicole L. Wallack, Jean-Baptiste Ruffio, Garreth Ruane, Bin Ren, Jerry W. Xuan , et al. · 2024

Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of protoplanetary disks in the millimeter continuum have shown a variety of radial gaps, cavities, and spiral features. These substructures may be signposts for ongoin…

Glow reduction of ultra-low noise LmAPDs: towards photon counting infrared arrays Open

Guillaume Huber, Michael Bottom, Charles-Antoine Claveau, Shane Jacobson, M. Newland , et al. · 2024

Spectroscopy and direct-imaging of ultra-faint targets such as Earth-like\nexoplanets and high redshift galaxies are among the primary goals of upcoming\nlarge scale astronomy projects like the Habitable World Observatory (HWO). Such\nobje…

Jitter Characterization of the HyTI Satellite Open

Chase Urasaki, Frances Zhu, Michael Bottom, Miguel Nunes, Aidan Walk · 2024

The Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) is a technology demonstration mission that will obtain high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution long-wave infrared images of Earth's surface from a 6U cubesat. HyTI science requires that the p…

Direct detection and characterization of exoplanets using imaging Fourier transform spectroscopy Open

Jingwen Zhang, Michael Bottom, Eugene Serabyn · 2023

Space-based direct imaging provides prospects for detection and spectral characterization of exoplanets at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. Integral field spectrographs (IFS) have been historically baselined for these mission concept…

Flight photon counting electron multiplying charge coupled device development for the Roman Space Telescope coronagraph instrument Open

Patrick Morrissey, Leon K. Harding, Nathan Bush, Michael Bottom, B. Nemati , et al. · 2023

We describe the development of flight electron multiplying charge coupled devices (EMCCDs) for the photon-counting camera system of a coronagraph instrument (CGI) to be flown on the 2.4-m Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Roman is a NASA …

Smartphone screens as astrometric calibrators Open

Aidan Walk, Charles-Antoine Claveau, Michael Bottom, Mark Chun, Shane Jacobson , et al. · 2023

Geometric optical distortion is a significant contributor to the astrometric error budget in large telescopes using adaptive optics. To increase astrometric precision, optical distortion calibration is necessary. We investigate using smart…

Sequential coronographic low order Wave-front sensors Open

Michael Bottom, S. Walker, Ian Cunnyngham, Charlotte Guthery, Jacques-Robert Delorme · 2023

Coronagraphs are highly sensitive to wavefront errors, with performance degrading rapidly in the presence of low-order aberrations. Correcting these aberrations at the coronagraphic focal plane is key to optimal performance. We present two…

Keck Adaptive Optics Current and Future Roles as an ELT Pathfinder Open

Peter Wizinowich, Sylvain Cetre, Jason Chin, Carlos Correia, Luke Gers , et al. · 2023

The segmented nature of the 10-m Keck telescopes combined with facility-class AO systems and science instruments, and a history of science-driven upgrades to these systems, offers a uniquely powerful pathfinder for future AO science facili…

From Demonstration to Operation: High Contrast Imaging Tools at Keck Observatory Open

Charlotte Guthery, Jacques-Robert Delorme, Michael Bottom, S. Walker, Maria Vincent , et al. · 2023

High contrast imaging (HCI) is limited in practice by uncorrected wavefront errors within traditional adaptive optics (AO). Keck observatory experiences roughly 130nm of unacoounted residual wavefront error even with well calibrated AO. Mu…

First tests of a 1 megapixel near-infrared avalanche photodiode array for ultra-low background space astronomy Open

Charles-Antoine Claveau, Michael Bottom, Shane Jacobson, K. W. Hodapp, Aidan Walk , et al. · 2022

Spectroscopy of Earth-like exoplanets and ultra-faint galaxies are priority science cases for the coming decades. Here, broadband source flux rates are measured in photons per square meter per hour, imposing extreme demands on detector per…

Minerva-Australis. I. Design, Commissioning, and First Photometric Results Open

Brett Addison, D. J. Wright, Robert A. Wittenmyer, Jonathan Horner, Matthew W. Mengel , et al. · 2022

© 2019. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. The MINERVA-Australis telescope array is a facility dedicated to the follow-up, confirmation, characterization, and mass measurement of planets orb…

A Visible-light Lyot Coronagraph for SCExAO/VAMPIRES Open

Miles Lucas, Michael Bottom, Olivier Guyon, Julien Lozi, Barnaby Norris , et al. · 2022

We describe the design and initial results from a visible-light Lyot coronagraph for SCExAO/VAMPIRES. The coronagraph is comprised of four hard-edged, partially transmissive focal plane masks with inner working angles of 36 mas, 55 mas, 92…

An Imaging Search for Post-main-sequence Planets of Sirius B Open

Miles Lucas, Michael Bottom, Garreth Ruane, Sam Ragland · 2022

We present deep imaging of Sirius B, the closest and brightest white dwarf, to constrain post-main-sequence planetary evolution in the Sirius system. We use Keck/NIRC2 in L ′ band (3.776 μ m) across three epochs in 2020 using the technique…

An Imaging Search for Post-Main-Sequence Planets of Sirius B Open

Miles Lucas, Michael Bottom, Garreth Ruane, Sam Ragland · 2021

We present deep imaging of Sirius B, the closest and brightest white dwarf, to constrain post-main-sequence planetary evolution in the Sirius system. We use Keck/NIRC2 in L'-band (3.776 $μ$m) across three epochs in 2020 using the technique…

PlanetEvidence: Planet or Noise? Open

Jason Golomb, G. Rocha, Tiffany Meshkat, Michael Bottom, Dimitri Mawet , et al. · 2021

The work presented here attempts at answering the following question: how do we decide when a given detection is a planet or just residual noise in exoplanet direct imaging data? To this end we implement a metric meant to replace the empir…

High contrast imaging at the photon noise limit with self-calibrating\n WFS/C systems Open

Olivier Guyon, Barnaby Norris, Marc-Antoine Martinod, Kyohoon Ahn, Peter Tuthill , et al. · 2021

High contrast imaging (HCI) systems rely on active wavefront control (WFC) to\ndeliver deep raw contrast in the focal plane, and on calibration techniques to\nfurther enhance contrast by identifying planet light within the residual\nspeckl…

High contrast imaging at the photon noise limit with self-calibrating WFS/C systems Open

Olivier Guyon, Barnaby Norris, Marc-Antoine Martinod, Kyohoon Ahn, Peter Tuthill , et al. · 2021

High contrast imaging (HCI) systems rely on active wavefront control (WFC) to deliver deep raw contrast in the focal plane, and on calibration techniques to further enhance contrast by identifying planet light within the residual speckle h…

SCExAO, a testbed for developing high-contrast imaging technologies for\n ELTs Open

Kyohoon Ahn, Olivier Guyon, Julien Lozi, Sébastien Vievard, Vincent Déo , et al. · 2021

To directly detect exoplanets and protoplanetary disks, the development of\nhigh accuracy wavefront sensing and control (WFS&C) technologies is essential,\nespecially for ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). The Subaru\nCoronagr…

SCExAO, a testbed for developing high-contrast imaging technologies for ELTs Open

Kyohoon Ahn, Olivier Guyon, Julien Lozi, Sébastien Vievard, Vincent Déo , et al. · 2021

To directly detect exoplanets and protoplanetary disks, the development of high accuracy wavefront sensing and control (WFS&C) technologies is essential, especially for ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). The Subaru Coronagraph…

SCExAO: a testbed for developing high-contrast imaging technologies for ELTs Open

Kyohoon Ahn, Olivier Guyon, Julien Lozi, Sébastien Vievard, Vincent Déo , et al. · 2021

To directly detect exoplanets and protoplanetary disks, the development of high accuracy wavefront sensing and control (WFSandC) technologies is essential, especially for ground-based Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). The Subaru Coronagra…

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