Dr. Kurt M. Liewer Profile

Dr. Kurt M. Liewer

Principal Engineer at Jet Propulsion Lab

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Author

Publications (23)

Proceedings Article | 28 August 2024 Poster + Paper

Toward deep single-mode cross-aperture nulling

E. Serabyn, K. Liewer, G. Ruane

Proceedings Volume 13095, 130952P (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3020750

KEYWORDS: Exoplanets, Stars, Nulling interferometry, Telescopes, Coronagraphy, Optics manufacturing, Manufacturing, Beam diameter, Polymers, Observatories

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Proceedings Article | 24 May 2018 Paper

Digital holographic microscopy for remote life detection

E. Serabyn, K. Wallace, K. Liewer, C. Lindensmith, J. Nadeau

Proceedings Volume 10677, 1067724 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2307675

KEYWORDS: Digital holography, Holography, Sensors, GRIN lenses, Microscopy, Detector arrays, Objectives, Microscopes, Lenses, Interferometers

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Proceedings Article | 28 August 2014 Paper

Recent progress on phase-mask coronagraphy based on photonic-crystal technology

Naoshi Murakami, Jun Nishikawa, Motohide Tamura, Eugene Serabyn, Wesley Traub, Kurt Liewer, Dwight Moody, John Trauger, Olivier Guyon, Frantz Martinache, Nemanja Jovanovic, Garima Singh, Fumika Oshiyama, Hayato Shoji, Moritsugu Sakamoto, Shoki Hamaguchi, Kazuhiko Oka, Naoshi Baba

Proceedings Volume 9143, 914334 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2054790

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Manufacturing, Photomasks, Spiral phase plates, Space telescopes, Telescopes, Light sources, Polarizers, Adaptive optics, Polarization

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Proceedings Article | 24 July 2014 Paper

Exploring 5-40 AU scales around AB Aurigae with an upgraded Palomar Fiber Nuller

Jonas Kühn, Bertrand Mennesson, Kurt Liewer, Stefan Martin, Frank Loya, Rafael Millan-Gabet, Eugene Serabyn

Proceedings Volume 9146, 914606 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2056798

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, K band, Stars, Interferometry, Modulation, Telescopes, Nulling interferometry, Mirrors, Cameras, Ferroelectric materials

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Proceedings Article | 26 September 2013 Paper

High-contrast imaging results with the vortex coronagraph

E. Serabyn, J. Trauger, D. Moody, D. Mawet, K. Liewer, J. Krist, B. Kern

Proceedings Volume 8864, 88640Y (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2024660

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Light, Polarization, Wave plates, Stars, Space telescopes, Cameras, Polarizers, Point spread functions, Speckle

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Proceedings Article | 15 September 2011 Paper

Taking the vector vortex coronagraph to the next level for ground- and space-based exoplanet imaging instruments: review of technology developments in the USA, Japan, and Europe

Dimitri Mawet, Naoshi Murakami, Christian Delacroix, Eugene Serabyn, Olivier Absil, Naoshi Baba, Jacques Baudrand, Anthony Boccaletti, Rick Burruss, Russell Chipman, Pontus Forsberg, Serge Habraken, Shoki Hamaguchi, Charles Hanot, Akitoshi Ise, Mikael Karlsson, Brian Kern, John Krist, Andreas Kuhnert, Marie Levine, Kurt Liewer, Stephen McClain, Scott McEldowney, Bertrand Mennesson, Dwight Moody, Hiroshi Murakami, Albert Niessner, Jun Nishikawa, Nada O'Brien, Kazuhiko Oka, Peggy Park, Pierre Piron, Laurent Pueyo, Pierre Riaud, Moritsugu Sakamoto, Motohide Tamura, John Trauger, David Shemo, Jean Surdej, Nelson Tabirian, Wesley Traub, James Wallace, Kaito Yokochi

Proceedings Volume 8151, 815108 (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.896059

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Polarization, Spiral phase plates, Photonic crystals, Liquid crystals, Polymers, Telescopes, Exoplanets, Space telescopes, Optics manufacturing

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Proceedings Article | 15 September 2011 Paper

An optical fiber-based high contrast imager

Stefan Martin, Kurt Liewer, Alexander Ksendzov, Eugene Serabyn

Proceedings Volume 8146, 81460J (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.895517

KEYWORDS: Mirrors, Imaging systems, Space telescopes, Image segmentation, Telescopes, Polarization, Optical fibers, Single mode fibers, Collimation, Cameras

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Proceedings Article | 15 September 2011 Paper

Recent progress in vector vortex coronagraphy

E. Serabyn, D. Mawet, J. Wallace, K. Liewer, J. Trauger, D. Moody, B. Kern

Proceedings Volume 8146, 81460L (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.895267

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Spiral phase plates, Space telescopes, Exoplanets, Telescopes, Optical vortices, Wavefronts, Phase measurement, Polarization, Speckle

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Proceedings Article | 15 September 2011 Paper

Fiber-based interferometry and imaging

E. Serabyn, K. Liewer, S. Martin, D. Mawet, A. Ksendzov

Proceedings Volume 8146, 81460I (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.895268

KEYWORDS: Optical fibers, Single mode fibers, Space telescopes, Interferometry, Visibility, Nulling interferometry, Coronagraphy, Telescopes, Stars, Wavefronts

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Proceedings Article | 11 August 2010 Paper

The JWST/NIRCam coronagraph flight occulters

John Krist, Kunjithapatham Balasubramanian, Richard Muller, Stuart Shaklan, Douglas Kelly, Daniel Wilson, Charles Beichman, Eugene Serabyn, Yalan Mao, Pierre Echternach, John Trauger, Kurt Liewer

Proceedings Volume 7731, 77313J (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.856488

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, James Webb Space Telescope, Coating, Aluminum, Antireflective coatings, Photomasks, Microscopes, Absorbance, Neodymium, Image transmission

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Proceedings Article | 22 July 2010 Paper

Development of a statistical reduction method for the Palomar Fiber Nuller

Charles Hanot, Bertrand Mennesson, Eugene Serabyn, Stefan Martin, Kurt Liewer, Frank Loya, Dimitri Mawet, Pierre Riaud, Olivier Absil

Proceedings Volume 7734, 77342S (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857014

KEYWORDS: Neodymium, Interferometry, Calibration, Nulling interferometry, Error analysis, Stars, Statistical analysis, Sodium, Interferometers, Visibility

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Proceedings Article | 22 July 2010 Paper

The potential of rotating-baseline nulling interferometers operating within large single-telescope apertures

E. Serabyn, B. Mennesson, S. Martin, K. Liewer, D. Mawet, C. Hanot, F. Loya, M. Colavita, Sam Ragland

Proceedings Volume 7734, 77341E (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857753

KEYWORDS: Nulling interferometry, Stars, Interferometers, Telescopes, Adaptive optics, Interferometry, Space telescopes, Infrared telescopes, Coronagraphy, Solar system

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Proceedings Article | 15 July 2010 Paper

High contrast stellar observations within the diffraction limit at the Palomar Hale telescope

B. Mennesson, C. Hanot, E. Serabyn, S. Martin, K. Liewer, F. Loya, D. Mawet

Proceedings Volume 7735, 773511 (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.857633

KEYWORDS: Adaptive optics, Stars, Interferometry, Telescopes, Coronagraphy, Near infrared, Nulling interferometry, K band, Visibility, Diffraction

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We report on high-accuracy, high-resolution (< 20mas) stellar measurements obtained in the near infrared ( 2.2 microns) at the Palomar 200 inch telescope using two elliptical (3m x 1.5m) sub-apertures located 3.4m apart. Our interferometric coronagraph, known as the "Palomar Fiber Nuller" (PFN), is located downstream of the Palomar adaptive optics (AO) system and recombines the two separate beams into a common singlemode fiber. The AO system acts as a "fringe tracker", maintaining the optical path difference (OPD) between the beams around an adjustable value, which is set to the central dark interference fringe. AO correction ensures high efficiency and stable injection of the beams into the single-mode fiber. A chopper wheel and a fast photometer are used to record short (< 50ms per beam) interleaved sequences of background, individual beam and interferometric signals. In order to analyze these chopped null data sequences, we developed a new statistical method, baptized "Null Self-Calibration" (NSC), which provides astrophysical null measurements at the 0.001 level, with 1 σ uncertainties as low as 0.0003. Such accuracy translates into a dynamic range greater than 1000:1 within the diffraction limit, demonstrating that the approach effectively bridges the traditional gap between regular coronagraphs, limited in angular resolution, and long baseline visibility interferometers, whose dynamic range is restricted to 100:1. As our measurements are extremely sensitive to the brightness distribution very close to the optical axis, we were able to constrain the stellar diameters and amounts of circumstellar emission for a sample of very bright stars. With the improvement expected when the PALM-3000 extreme AO system comes on-line at Palomar, the same instrument now equipped with a state of the art low noise fast read-out near IR camera, will yield 10^-4 to 10^-3 contrast as close as 30 mas for stars with K magnitude brighter than 6. Such a system will provide a unique and ideal tool for the detection of young (<100 Myr) self-luminous planets and hot debris disks in the immediate vicinity (0.1 to a few AUs) of nearby (< 50pc) stars.

Proceedings Article | 20 August 2009 Paper

The JWST/NIRCam coronagraph: mask design and fabrication

John Krist, Kunjithapatham Balasubramanian, Charles Beichman, Pierre Echternach, Joseph Green, Kurt Liewer, Richard Muller, Eugene Serabyn, Stuart Shaklan, John Trauger, Daniel Wilson, Scott Horner, Yalan Mao, Stephen Somerstein, Gopal Vasudevan, Douglas Kelly, Marcia Rieke

Proceedings Volume 7440, 74400W (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826448

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, James Webb Space Telescope, Stars, Halftones, Telescopes, Diffraction, Coating, Photomasks, Sapphire, Light scattering

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Proceedings Article | 20 August 2009 Paper

Vector vortex coronagraph: first results in the visible

Dimitri Mawet, John Trauger, Eugene Serabyn, Dwight Moody, Kurt Liewer, John Krist, David Shemo, Nada O'Brien

Proceedings Volume 7440, 74400X (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.826569

KEYWORDS: Coronagraphy, Spiral phase plates, Polarization, Wavefronts, Optical vortices, Space telescopes, Exoplanets, Telescopes, Manufacturing, Wavefront sensors

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Proceedings Article | 28 July 2008 Paper

The development and applications of a ground-based fiber nulling coronagraph

Stefan Martin, Eugene Serabyn, Kurt Liewer, Frank Loya, Bertrand Mennesson, Charles Hanot, Dimitri Mawet

Proceedings Volume 7013, 70131Y (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.789484

KEYWORDS: Nulling interferometry, Telescopes, Space telescopes, Stars, Mirrors, Coronagraphy, Sensors, Signal detection, Single mode fibers, Adaptive optics

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Proceedings Article | 28 June 2006 Paper

Deep broad-band infrared nulling using a single-mode fiber beam combiner and baseline rotation

B. Mennesson, P. Haguenauer, E. Serabyn, K. Liewer

Proceedings Volume 6268, 626830 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672157

KEYWORDS: Nulling interferometry, Infrared radiation, Telescopes, Single mode fibers, Infrared telescopes, Space telescopes, Modulation, Sensors, Adaptive optics, Mirrors

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The basic advantage of single-mode fibers for deep nulling applications resides in their spatial filtering ability, and has now long been known. However, and as suggested more recently, a single-mode fiber can also be used for direct coherent recombination of spatially separated beams, i.e. in a "multi-axial" nulling scheme. After the first successful demonstration of deep (<2e-6) visible LASER nulls using this technique (Haguenauer & Serabyn, Applied Optics 2006), we decided to work on an infrared extension for ground based astronomical observations, e.g. using two or more off-axis sub-apertures of a large ground based telescope. In preparation for such a system, we built and tested a laboratory infrared fiber nuller working in a wavelength regime where atmospheric turbulence can be efficiently corrected, over a pass band (~1.5 to 1.8 micron) broad enough to provide reasonable sensitivity. In addition, since no snapshot images are readily accessible with a (single) fiber nuller, we also tested baseline rotation as an approach to detect off-axis companions while keeping a central null. This modulation technique is identical to the baseline rotation envisioned for the TPF-I space mission. Within this context, we report here on early laboratory results showing deep stable broad-band dual polarization infrared nulls < 5e-4 (currently limited by detector noise), and visible LASER nulls better than 3e-4 over a 360 degree rotation of the baseline. While further work will take place in the laboratory to achieve deeper stable broad-band nulls and test off-axis sources detection through rotation, the emphasis will be put on bringing such a system to a telescope as soon as possible. Detection capability at the 500:1 contrast ratio in the K band (~2.2 microns) seem readily accessible within 50-100 mas of the optical axis, even with a first generation system mounted on a >5m AO equipped telescope such as the Palomar Hale 200 inch, the Keck, Subaru or Gemini telescopes.

Proceedings Article | 27 June 2006 Paper

Progress in testing exo-planet signal extraction on the TPF-I planet detection testbed

Stefan Martin, Piotr Szwaykowski, Frank Loya, Kurt Liewer

Proceedings Volume 6268, 626818 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672646

KEYWORDS: Planets, Nulling interferometry, Stars, Signal detection, Telescopes, Beam splitters, Sensors, Interferometers, Signal processing, Space telescopes

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Proceedings Article | 3 March 2003 Paper

Antarctic impulsive transient antenna (ANITA) instrumentation

S. Barwick, James Beatty, David Besson, John Clem, Stephane Coutu, Michael DuVernois, Paul Evenson, Peter Gorham, Francis Halzen, David Kieda, John Learned, Kurt Liewer, Shigenobu Matsuno, Charles Naudet, David Saltzberg, David Seckel, Gary Varner

Proceedings Volume 4858, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458042

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Polarization, Physics, Logic, Particles, Interference (communication), Field programmable gate arrays, Astronomy, Sensors, Amplifiers

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Proceedings Article | 3 March 2003 Paper

Overview of the ANITA project

S. Barwick, James Beatty, David Besson, John Clem, Stephane Coutu, Michael DuVernois, Paul Evenson, Peter Gorham, Francis Halzen, Abram Jacobson, David Kieda, John Learned, Kurt Liewer, Stephen Lowe, Charles Naudet, Allen Odian, David Saltzberg, David Seckel

Proceedings Volume 4858, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458546

KEYWORDS: Particles, Antennas, Sensors, Polarization, Solids, Satellites, Absorption, Microwave radiation, Gamma radiation, Photons

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Proceedings Article | 3 March 2003 Paper

Status of goldstone lunar ultrahigh-energy neutrino experiment (GLUE)

Peter Gorham, Kurt Liewer, Radovan Milincic, Charles Naudet, David Saltzberg, Dawn Williams

Proceedings Volume 4858, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.458022

KEYWORDS: Antennas, Electromagnetic coupling, Polarization, L band, Calibration, Electromagnetism, Signal detection, Solids, Microwave radiation, Telescopes

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2003 Paper

Fringe tracking in the StarLight formation interferometer testbed

Udo Wehmeier, Kurt Liewer, Joel Shields

Proceedings Volume 4852, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.460857

KEYWORDS: Interferometers, Detection and tracking algorithms, Metrology, Space operations, Cameras, Visibility, Ferroelectric materials, Sensors, Servomechanisms, Control systems

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Proceedings Article | 26 February 2003 Paper

Wavefront tilt feedforward for the formation interferometer testbed (FIT)

Joel Shields, Kurt Liewer, Udo Wehmeier

Proceedings Volume 4852, (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.459342

KEYWORDS: Space operations, Electroluminescence, Mirrors, Metrology, Wavefronts, Sensors, Interferometry, Ferroelectric materials, Interferometers, Stars

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Showing 5 of 23 publications

Conference Committee Involvement (1)

Particle Astrophysics Instrumentation

22 August 2002 | Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

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