The Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program: pre-launch reference star list and impact of reference star properties on post-processing performance

Space Telescopes and Instrumentation: Optical, Infrared, and Millimeter Wave, pp. 32

Abstract

The upcoming Roman Coronagraph will be the first high-contrast instrument in space capable of high-order wave- front sensing and control technologies, a critical technology demonstration for the proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) that aims to directly image and characterize habitable exoEarths. The nominal Roman Coronagraph observing plan involves alternating observations of a science target and a bright, nearby reference star for both wavefront calibration and reference differential imaging post-processing. Reference star criteria for the most demanding coronagraph mode are restrictive, limiting the sample to only 40 candidates for which thorough observational vetting is needed to assess their suitability. Reference star properties such as resolved diameters, presence of circumstellar dust, and close point sources may also have more subtle impacts on post-processing efficacy that may inhibit final contrast performance. In this work, we describe the current progress of the CoronaGraph Instrument Reference stars for Exoplanets (CorGI-REx) observing campaign, a 300+-hour observing campaign that utilizes instruments from around the world to vet reference stars for high-order wavefront control suitability. We will present the pre-launch list of reference star candidates being utilized for the Roman Coronagraph Observation Phase constructed from a thorough analysis of high contrast and interferometric observations. We will also present the results of simulations investigating the impact of reference star resolved diameters and companions on post-processing performance. We conclude by discussing the importance of reference star selection for scheduling observations and optimizing contrast performance for the Roman Coronagraph along with implications for HWO coronagraph operations.

Authors 54

1. Justin Hom

   University of Arizona

   Affiliation as printed

   Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

2. Schuyler Grace Wolff

   University of Arizona

   Affiliation as printed

   Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

3. Jessica A. Gersh-Range
   Affiliation as printed

   DM Telescopes (United States)

4. Ramya M. Anche

   University of Arizona

   Affiliation as printed

   Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

5. Vanessa P. Bailey

   Jet Propulsion Laboratory

   Affiliation as printed

   NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. (United States)

6. Jean-Philippe Berger

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

   Affiliation as printed

   Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG (France)

7. Beth A. Biller

   Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes · University of Edinburgh

   Affiliation as printed

   Ctr. for Exoplanet Science, Univ. of Edinburgh (United Kingdom)

   Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG (France)

8. Wolfgang Brandner

   Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

   Affiliation as printed

   Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Germany)

9. Marah Brinjikji

   University of Notre Dame

   Affiliation as printed

   Univ. of Notre Dame (United States)

10. G. Chauvin

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

    Affiliation as printed

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Germany)

11. David R. Ciardi

    California Institute of Technology · NASA Exoplanet Science Institute · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, IPAC, California Institute of Technology (United States)

12. Catherine A. Clark

    California Institute of Technology · NASA Exoplanet Science Institute · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, IPAC, California Institute of Technology (United States)

13. Laird M. Close

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

14. Robert J. De Rosa

    European Southern Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    European Southern Observatory (Chile)

15. Sarah Deveny

    Bay Area Environmental Research Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (United States)

16. Warren B. Foster

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

17. Julien H. Girard

    Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute (United States)

18. Alexandra Z. Greenbaum

    California Institute of Technology · NASA Exoplanet Science Institute · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, IPAC, California Institute of Technology (United States)

19. Olivier Guyon

    University of Arizona · Astrobiology Center · National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

    Affiliation as printed

    Astrobiology Ctr., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Japan)

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

    Subaru Telescope, National Observatory of Japan (United States)

20. Sebastiaan Y. Haffert Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · University of Arizona · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden Univ. (Netherlands)

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

21. Alexander D. Hedglen

    Northrop Grumman (United States)

    Affiliation as printed

    Northrop Grumman Corp. (United States)

22. Steve B. Howell

    Ames Research Center

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Ames Research Ctr. (United States)

23. Parker T. Johnson

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

24. Maggie Kautz

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

25. Jay K. Kueny

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

26. Masayuki Kuzuhara

    Astrobiology Center · National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

    Affiliation as printed

    Astrobiology Ctr., National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Japan)

27. Manon Lallement

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG (France)

28. Rico Landman

    Nederlandse Onderzoekschool Voor Astronomie

    Affiliation as printed

    NOVA, Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (Netherlands)

29. J.-B. Le Bouquin

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble · Université Grenoble Alpes

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG (France)

30. Jialin Li

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

31. Joshua Liberman

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

32. Colin Littlefield

    Bay Area Environmental Research Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Bay Area Environmental Research Institute (United States)

33. Joseph D. Long

    Flatiron Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Ctr. for Computational Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute (United States)

34. Miles Lucas

    University of Arizona · National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

    Subaru Telescope, National Observatory of Japan (United States)

35. Jennifer Lumbres

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

36. Bruce Macintosh

    University of California, Santa Cruz · University of California Observatories

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of California Observatories, Univ. of California, Santa Cruz (United States)

37. Jared R. Males

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

38. Eric E. Mamajek

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. (United States)

39. Matthijs Mars Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden Univ. (Netherlands)

40. Eden McEwen

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

41. Avalon L. McLeod

    Draper Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Draper Lab. (United States)

42. Maxwell A. Millar‐Blanchaer

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (United States)

43. Toshiyuki Mizuki

    Astrobiology Center · National Astronomical Observatory of Japan

    Affiliation as printed

    Astrobiology Ctr. of NINS (Japan)

    National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Japan)

44. Sophie Noiret

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique · Aix-Marseille Université

    Affiliation as printed

    Aix Marseille Univ., CNRS, CNES, LAM (France)

45. Tiffany Nguyen

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

46. Lauren Schatz

    Kirtland Air Force Base

    Affiliation as printed

    Starfire Optical Range, Kirtland Air Force Base (United States)

47. Nicholas Schragal

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Stewad Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

48. Adam K. Taras Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden Univ. (Netherlands)

49. Elena Tonucci Aachen Leiden Observatory

    Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Leiden Univ. (Netherlands)

50. Katie Twitchell

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    The Univ. of Arizona (United States)

51. Kyle Van Gorkom

    University of Arizona

    Affiliation as printed

    Steward Observatory, Univ. of Arizona (United States)

52. Macarena C. Vega-Pallauta

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

    Affiliation as printed

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (Germany)

53. Jason J. Wang

    Northwestern University

    Affiliation as printed

    Northwestern Univ. (United States)

54. Jingwen Zhang

    University of California, Santa Barbara

    Affiliation as printed

    Univ. of California, Santa Barbara (United States)