GPI Archives

First image of the AO prototype ‘COME–ON’ system taken at 1.52 m telescope of the Observatoire de Haute Provence. γ2 And (a binary star with a 0.5′′ separation) was observed in K band [50]. -- astro-ph.IM

Astronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

High-Contrast Imaging: Hide and Seek with Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJanuary 16, 2025January 16, 2025

So far, most of the about 5,700 exoplanets have been discovered mainly with radial velocity and transit methods. These techniques are sensitive to planets in close orbits, not being able […]

The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC) connects the Keck II AO system and the Keck/NIRSPEC high-resolution infrared spectrograph (https://www2.keck.hawaii.edu/inst/nirspec/) via a linear bundle of four single-mode fibers spaced by ~800 mas on the sky. Single-mode fibers provide a more stable quasi-Gaussian line spread function. Their small angular size, matched to the diffraction limit (FWHM~50 mas in K band), also provides excellent sky background rejection, as well as reduces the off-axis starlight injection into the single mode fibers. Currently, KPIC uses the Shack-Hartmann Wavefront Sensors for AO. Larger image

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The High-contrast Performance of the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer

by Keith CowingJune 24, 2024June 24, 2024

The Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC), a series of upgrades to the Keck II Adaptive Optics System and Instrument Suite, aims to demonstrate high-resolution spectroscopy of faint exoplanets that […]