Monolithic achromatic nulling interference coronagraph: design and performance.
We present the design of the monolithic achromatic nulling interference coronagraph (MANIC), a nulling interferometer consisting of optically contacted prisms and a symmetric beam splitter. The optic is designed to enable the direct detection of nearby Jupiter-like exoplanets, and may be extended to enable Earth-like system detection. The monolithic nature of the optic improves on the current state-of-the-art in nulling interferometers by providing built-in alignment and stability, as well as a reduction in size and mass. These qualities make the MANIC extremely robust and simple to integrate, and an excellent candidate for space-based applications.
Hicks
Brian
B
Center for Space Physics, Boston University, 725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. bahicks@bu.edu
Cook
Timothy
T
Lane
Benjamin
B
Chakrabarti
Supriya
S