Adaptive nulling in the mid-IR for the Terrestrial Planet Finder Interferometer

摘要

Deep, stable starlight nulls are needed for the direct detection of Earth-like planets and require careful control of the intensity and phase of the beams that are being combined. We have tested a novel compensator based on a deformable mirror to correct the intensity and phase at each wavelength across the bandwidth of 8 to 12 microns wavelength. This paper will cover the results of the adaptive miller tests performed in the mid-IR.