A method for modifying occulter shapes

Eric Cady; Stuart B. Shaklan; N. Jeremy Kasdin; David Spergel

doi:10.1117/12.826183

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19 August 2009 A method for modifying occulter shapes

Eric Cady, Stuart B. Shaklan, N. Jeremy Kasdin, David Spergel

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Proceedings Volume 7440, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets IV; 744007 (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826183
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2009, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

An occulter is an instrument designed to suppress starlight by diffraction from its edges; most are designed to be circular, with a set of identical "petals" running around the outside. Proposed space-based occulters are lightweight, deployed screens tens of meters in diameter with challenging accuracy requirements. We describe a general method for modifying the shape of an occulter to accommodate engineering considerations and show how to calculate the resulting wavefront. This method can be used to place hinges and tensioning elements between petals, to reduce tolerancing requirements by allowing gaps between petals to be moved elsewhere, and to potentially reduce the number of petals required on an occulter.

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Eric Cady, Stuart B. Shaklan, N. Jeremy Kasdin, and David Spergel "A method for modifying occulter shapes", Proc. SPIE 7440, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets IV, 744007 (19 August 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826183

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