The resolution of coronagraphic high contrast exoplanet imaging devices such as SPHERE is limited by quasistatic aberrations. These aberrations produce speckles that can be mistaken for planets in the image. In order to design instruments, correct quasi-static aberrations or analyze data, the expression of the point spread function of a coronagraphic telescope in the presence of residual turbulence is useful. We have derived an analytic formula for this point spread function. We explain physically its structure, we validate it by numerical simulations and we show that it is computationally efficient.

Date Published: 27 July 2016
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 9909, Adaptive Optics Systems V, 99096N (27 July 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2234140

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9909:
Adaptive Optics Systems V
Enrico Marchetti; Laird M. Close; Jean-Pierre Véran, Editor(s)