Paper 14145-234
Paper 14145-234
Upgrade of the MITHiC Testbed for intensity and phase control
8 July 2026 • 17:30 - 19:00 CEST | Room B4-M3
Abstract
High-contrast imaging for direct exoplanet detection is limited by stellar brightness and wavefront errors. Coronagraphy and wavefront control help reduce these effects and enable contrast levels compatible with current testbeds and future missions such as the Roman Space Telescope.
Within this framework, the MITHiC testbed at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille is being upgraded with a new Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) used as a deformable mirror. It complements the existing setup, which includes a Classic Lyot Coronagraph and a first SLM enabling phase and amplitude control to optimize the dark-hole region. We also implement the Zernike wavefront sensor (ZELDA) to correct low-order aberrations.
This contribution presents recent progress on the MITHiC upgrade and initial results, highlighting its role as a versatile platform for developing advanced high-contrast imaging techniques.
Presenter
Anton Neisius
Lab. d'Astrophysique de Marseille (France)
Anton Neisius is a second-year engineering student at the Institut d’Optique Graduate School (IOGS) in France. He is completing a work-study program at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM), where he contributes to the development and operation of the MITHiC high-contrast imaging testbed. His work focuses on experimental optics and instrumentation for astronomical applications. He is supervised by Élodie Choquet, Vincent Chambouleyron, and Arthur Vigan.