On Advanced Estimation Techniques for Exoplanet Detection and Characterization Using Ground-based Coronagraphs.
The direct imaging of planets around nearby stars is exceedingly difficult. Only about 14 exoplanets have been imaged to date that have masses less than 13 times that of Jupiter. The next generation of planet-finding coronagraphs, including VLT-SPHERE, the Gemini Planet Imager, Palomar P1640, and Subaru HiCIAO have predicted contrast performance of roughly a thousand times less than would be needed to detect Earth-like planets. In this paper we review the state of the art in exoplanet imaging, most notably the method of Locally Optimized Combination of Images (LOCI), and we investigate the potential of improving the detectability of faint exoplanets through the use of advanced statistical methods based on the concepts of the ideal observer and the Hotelling observer. We propose a formal comparison of techniques using a blind data challenge with an evaluation of performance using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) and Localization ROC (LROC) curves. We place particular emphasis on the understanding and modeling of realistic sources of measurement noise in ground-based AO-corrected coronagraphs. The work reported in this paper is the result of interactions between the co-authors during a week-long workshop on exoplanet imaging that was held in Squaw Valley, California, in March of 2012.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
Peter R
PR
Lawson
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Ave, Livermore, CA 94550, USA.
Lisa
L
Poyneer
College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Harrison
H
Barrett
Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, Univ. Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Richard
R
Frazin
College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Luca
L
Caucci
Applied Optics Group, School of Physics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
Nicholas
N
Devaney
College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Lars
L
Furenlid
Fraunhofer Institute, Gutleuthausstrasse 1, 76275 Ettlingen, Germany.
Szymon
S
Gładysz
Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA ; Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Hilo, HI 96720, USA.
Olivier
O
Guyon
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
John
J
Krist
David Dunlap Inst., Univ. of Toronto, 50 St George St., Toronto, ON M5S 3H4, Canada.
Jérôme
J
Maire
NRC, Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada.
Christian
C
Marois
European Southern Observatory, Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Casilla 19001, Chile.
Dimitri
D
Mawet
IPAG, 414 rue de la Piscine, Domaine Univ., BP 53, 38041 Grenoble Cedex 09, France.
David
D
Mouillet
ONERA, Division Optique Theorique et Appliquée, BP 72, 92322 Chatillon Cedex, France.
Laurent
L
Mugnier
College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Iain
I
Pearson
Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Marshall
M
Perrin
JHU Department of Physics and Astronomy, 3400 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
Laurent
L
Pueyo
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Ave, Livermore, CA 94550, USA.
Dmitry
D
Savransky
Exoplanets; adaptive optics; coronagraphs; instrumentation; theory