Dimpled scalar vortex coronagraph laboratory demonstration
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866911555382149120 |
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| author | Desai, Niyati Ruane, Garreth Redmond, Susan Mawet, Dimitri Serabyn, Eugene Mennesson, Bertrand |
| author_facet | Desai, Niyati Ruane, Garreth Redmond, Susan Mawet, Dimitri Serabyn, Eugene Mennesson, Bertrand |
| contents | Achieving the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) goal of 10^-10 contrast at a separation of 3 $λ$/D across a 20% bandwidth requires coronagraph focal plane masks with both broadband high contrast performance and high planet throughput. Scalar vortex coronagraphs (SVCs) offer a promising alternative to polarization-sensitive vector vortex designs but face chromatic limitations. This work presents the latest laboratory demonstrations of second-generation scalar vortex prototypes that incorporate radial phase dimples to improve broadband starlight suppression. We compare these new "dimpled" sawtooth masks to previous-generation scalar designs through high-contrast imaging experiments on the In-Air Coronagraph Testbed. Using electric field conjugation, we achieve near testbed-limited contrasts across both narrow (2%) and broadband (10%) spectral ranges. We report the best in-air contrasts achieved to date for scalar vortex masks across narrow and broadband spectral ranges and we also show that the dimpled vortex predicted bench-limited contrast performances for 2%, 10% and 18% bandwidths agree with the measured lab contrasts within a factor of two. These results highlight the potential of topographically achromatized scalar vortex masks as candidates for future space-based high-contrast imaging missions and mark a significant step toward polarization-independent coronagraphs capable of meeting HWO performance requirements. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_22551 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Dimpled scalar vortex coronagraph laboratory demonstration Desai, Niyati Ruane, Garreth Redmond, Susan Mawet, Dimitri Serabyn, Eugene Mennesson, Bertrand Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics Achieving the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) goal of 10^-10 contrast at a separation of 3 $λ$/D across a 20% bandwidth requires coronagraph focal plane masks with both broadband high contrast performance and high planet throughput. Scalar vortex coronagraphs (SVCs) offer a promising alternative to polarization-sensitive vector vortex designs but face chromatic limitations. This work presents the latest laboratory demonstrations of second-generation scalar vortex prototypes that incorporate radial phase dimples to improve broadband starlight suppression. We compare these new "dimpled" sawtooth masks to previous-generation scalar designs through high-contrast imaging experiments on the In-Air Coronagraph Testbed. Using electric field conjugation, we achieve near testbed-limited contrasts across both narrow (2%) and broadband (10%) spectral ranges. We report the best in-air contrasts achieved to date for scalar vortex masks across narrow and broadband spectral ranges and we also show that the dimpled vortex predicted bench-limited contrast performances for 2%, 10% and 18% bandwidths agree with the measured lab contrasts within a factor of two. These results highlight the potential of topographically achromatized scalar vortex masks as candidates for future space-based high-contrast imaging missions and mark a significant step toward polarization-independent coronagraphs capable of meeting HWO performance requirements. |
| title | Dimpled scalar vortex coronagraph laboratory demonstration |
| topic | Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22551 |