Abstract
Starshade Imaging Simulation Toolkit for Exoplanet Reconnaissance (SISTER) is a versatile tool designed to provide accurate models of the images of exoplanet systems when observed with a starshade positioned to block the light from the host star. SISTER allows one to control a set of observational parameters including: (1) the starshade design, position, orientation, and glint properties; (2) the telescope and optical system pupil, aberrations, bandpass, and throughput including a detector model; (3) the exoplanetary system, including stellar distance and spectral type, parallax and proper motion, planet size, reflection properties, orbital parameters, and exozodiacal dust; and (4) background objects. Additionally, there is a substantial library of built-in plotting software added, but the simulations may be stored on disk and plotted with any other software. We describe SISTER’s algorithms, its operational modules, and how it can be used to generate starshade optical simulations with a high degree of fidelity. We include some imaging examples.
Highlights
Starshades have emerged as a promising concept for direct imaging and spectral characterization of exoplanets
We describe the Starshade Imaging Simulation Toolkit for Exoplanet Reconnaissance (SISTER), a versatile suite of MATLAB-based software for accurately simulating images of exoplanet systems observed with a starshade (Fig. 2)
The linear factor is given by the wavelength difference of the actual wavelength with the lower and upper pivot wavelengths. When merging both pivot point spread functions (PSFs), given the complexity of the spatial structure of the PSF close or inside the inner working angle (IWA), we considered a total of four spatial interpolation schemes, they can be classified as two different approaches. (i) There is no modification of the spatial extent of the pivot PSFs, that is, the two pivot PSF responses are directly co-added and the only interpolation is the peak intensity one. (ii) The pivot PSFs are radially stretched/contracted with a factor that is directly proportional to the quotient between the wavelength under consideration and the lower and upper pivot wavelengths
Summary
Starshades have emerged as a promising concept for direct imaging and spectral characterization of exoplanets. In parallel with technology development and mission studies, design reference missions[17,18,19] have established the starshade’s potential rich scientific returns To date, these studies have relied on simplistic representations of starshade performance, e.g., spatially stationary imaging point spread functions (PSFs), representative stellar leakage profiles, and average solar glint characteristics, to suit the specific study needs. Oakley and Cash[20] studied the ability of the New Worlds Observer starshade to determine the nature of the surface and clouds and the diurnal rotation rate of Earth-like planets. They implemented highly detailed planetary models and used the
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