High-contrast astronomical imaging has progressed significantly in the
past decade. Many of these techniques have been laboratory demonstrated
to perform at contrast levels adequate for the detection of Solar
System-like planets and dust around nearby stars. None of them, however,
have been demonstrated in space. The state of the art in high-contrast
imaging systems that have been built for space-based observation, the
environment best suited for spectroscopic study of exo-Earths, is the
nulling interferometer that was flown on the Planetary Imaging Concept
Testbed Using a Rocket Experiment (PICTURE). The PICTURE nulling
interferometer, built from multiple optical elements, relies on the
incorporation of additional dispersive components in order to deliver
the broadband performance preferred for faint object imaging. These
elements add to the cost, complexity, and misalignment risk of the
instrument.
The Monolithic Achromatic Nulling Interference Coronagraph (MANIC) Brian
Hicks describe in this thesis the first optic of its kind. He has taken
the multiple optical element concept described in earlier works from
theory to a flyable monolithic optic. Brian has advanced the state of
the art in nulling interferometers by improving optical stability and
robustness. Following application of the fabrication method described in
this work, the design of MANIC also allows for broader band performance
at higher contrast than that achieved with the PICTURE nulling
interferometer.