{"id":173,"date":"2025-12-14T08:11:52","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T07:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/?page_id=173"},"modified":"2025-12-14T08:35:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-14T07:35:24","slug":"highcontrast","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/harmoni\/instrument\/highcontrast\/","title":{"rendered":"highcontrast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f9cb6abc wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignfull is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-c6e57bbc wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7e003bba wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0b40682b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0b40682b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-0b40682b wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-xx-large-font-size\">High-Contrast Mode<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-x-large-font-size\">High Contrast mode in HARMONI is a specialised operating configuration of the Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics system that is optimised to suppress residual starlight close to a bright on-axis target, enabling the detection and spectroscopy of faint companions such as exoplanets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignfull is-style-section-2 is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-d9884270 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex is-style-section-2--1\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-content-justification-stretch is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-098fff0a wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"min-height:33vh;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--50)\">\n<p>In HCM the <strong>exoplanet-imaging capability depends on an <em>apodized pupil coronagraph<\/em><\/strong> placed in the optical path to suppress diffraction from the host star and improve achievable contrast. The apodizer modifies the amplitude transmission across the telescope pupil in a smooth way so that downstream, after focal-plane masks or stops, the light from the bright star is redistributed into regions where it can be blocked or strongly reduced, enhancing contrast for faint companions. This apodized pupil coronagraph is an integral part of the HCM design to reach contrasts on the order of 10\u207b\u2076 at small angular separations<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover is-light\" style=\"min-height:456px;aspect-ratio:unset;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"540\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-174 size-full\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Capture-decran-2025-12-14-a-08.07.42.png\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Capture-decran-2025-12-14-a-08.07.42.png 768w, https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Capture-decran-2025-12-14-a-08.07.42-300x211.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\" style=\"background-color:#d7dad9\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<div style=\"height:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20)\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-100 is-style-outline is-style-outline--2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-contrast-color has-accent-5-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/harmoni\/instrument\/\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:600\">Back to Overall Instrument<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>High-Contrast Mode High Contrast mode in HARMONI is a specialised operating configuration of the Single Conjugate Adaptive Optics system that is optimised to suppress residual starlight close to a bright on-axis target, enabling the detection and spectroscopy of faint companions such as exoplanets. In HCM the exoplanet-imaging capability depends on an apodized pupil coronagraph placed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":129,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-173","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197,"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/173\/revisions\/197"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.harmoni-elt.eu\/harmoni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}