The measurement principle underlying the DARWIN nulling science mode is essentially nonlinear. On the one hand in terms of null depth as a function of amplitude and phase noise, and on the other hand in terms of fiber coupling as function of science beam pointing and lateral offset. We present a performance breakdown and an end-to-end performance simulation for DARWIN with focus on principal limitations, and with a clear distinction between static null depth contributors, dynamic error contributors, and so-called instability noise within the overall system. We additionally discuss the derived next-step development efforts for critical subsystems.
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