High contrast imaging with the Hubble Space Telescope: Performance and lessons learned

摘要

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) provides the most versatile high contrast imaging capabilities of any current telescope. It allows high resolution, high dynamic range imaging from the near-ultraviolet to the near-infrared with both direct and coronagraphic methods. Its main advantage over ground-based systems is its stable point spread function. A review of the performance of HST as a high contrast imaging system is presented, including the abilities of all of the current HST cameras. Special emphasis is placed on items that are important to future missions (e.g. the Terrestrial Planet Finder), including mid-spatial frequency wavefront stability, coronagraphic system alignment, and observing methods.