Cool Stars 14 - Submitted Abstract # 334
This version created on 05 October 2006

An Apodized Pupil Lyot Coronagraph for the Gemini Planet Imager
instrument


Remi Soummer, AMNH
Anand Sivaramakrishnan, AMNH
Ben Oppenheimer, AMNH
Bruce and the GPI team PI: Macintosh, LLNL

The Gemini Planet Imager instrument is a multi-institution project
which consists of an Extreme Adaptive Optics system, an Apodized Pupil
Lyot Coronagraph, an Integral Field Unit and an active calibration
system.  The AMNH group is designing and building the Apodized Pupil
Lyot Coronagraph, chosen for this instrument.  This type of
coronagraph is basically a classical Lyot coronagraph with an upstream
pupil apodization, based on mathematical properties of the prolate
spheroidal functions.  An APLC produces a dramatic improvement over
the classical Lyot coronagraph.  We have identified appropriate
technologies to manufacture the required components.  We will present
the current status of the design and laboratory infrared testing
results.  

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