Design of a star, planet and exo-zodiacal cloud simulator for the nulling testbench PERSEE [2011]

Abstract : On-going developments on the PERSEE nulling testbench include the realization of a focal plane simulator featuring one central star, an extra-solar planet orbiting around it, and an Exo-Zodiacal Cloud (EZC) surrounding the observed stellar system. PERSEE (Pégase Experiment for Research and Stabilization of Extreme Extinction) is a laboratory testbench jointly developed by a Consortium of six French institutes and companies, incorporating Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur (OCA) who is in charge of the manufacturing and procurement of the future Star and Planet Simulator (SPS). In this communication is presented a complete description of the SPS, including general requirements, techniques employed for simulating the observed planet and EZC, opto-mechanical design and expected performance. The current status of the SPS activities is summarized in the conclusion, pending final integration on the PERSEE test bench in September 2011.

Keywords : Nulling interferometry, Nulling testbench, Exo-zodiacal cloud, Opto-mechanical design