METIS high-contrast imaging simulations: From instrument modelling to science readiness
Abstract
The Mid-infrared Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) instrument, expected to see first light in early 2030, aims to detect and characterise exoplanets and circumstellar disks through high- contrast imaging (HCI) and spectroscopy. The High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS), initially developed to support the design of the METIS HCI modes, has evolved into a crucial tool for the METIS science team to prepare and optimize observations. HEEPS is an open-source Python-based software with a modular architecture, integrating the wavefront Fresnel propagation package PROPER, and HCI image processing with the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) package. Though designed for METIS, its modularity has been applied to other HCI instruments as well. This work presents recent updates to HEEPS, including modelling of the final METIS pupil and Lyot stops, revised quasi-static non-common path aberrations (NCPA) and Talbot effect simulations informed by as-built optical surface errors, and updated METIS Single Conjugated Adaptive Optics (SCAO) simulations. We also discuss advancements in NCPA control strategies focusing on framerate, latency and sensing performance optimization, particularly for mitigating water vapor seeing effects using the asymmetric Lyot wavefront sensor (ALF) algorithm. With these refinements, we present a comprehensive grid of HCI performance simulations for METIS, covering a range of magnitudes in the L, M, and N-bands, and several HCI observing modes. These simulations produce updated 5-sigma sensitivity contrast curves and mock HCI observations, providing key insights on HCI performance for instrument optimization and science observation planning. Our results underscore the key role of end-to-end simulations in bridging instrumental design and scientific readiness in the ELT era.
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BibTeX
@misc{xivry2026metis,
title = {{METIS high-contrast imaging simulations: From instrument modelling to science readiness}},
author = {Gilles Orban de Xivry and Olivier Absil and Iain Hammond and Thomas Bertram and Roy van Boekel and André Boné and Gaël Chauvin and Valentin Christiaens and Denis Dolkens and Gilles Otten and Prashant Pathak and Nuño Pereira},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.30988},
eprint = {2608.30988},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30988},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - METIS high-contrast imaging simulations: From instrument modelling to science readiness
AU - Gilles Orban de Xivry
AU - Olivier Absil
AU - Iain Hammond
AU - Thomas Bertram
AU - Roy van Boekel
AU - André Boné
AU - Gaël Chauvin
AU - Valentin Christiaens
AU - Denis Dolkens
AU - Gilles Otten
AU - Prashant Pathak
AU - Nuño Pereira
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.30988
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.30988
AB - The Mid-infrared Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) instrument, expected to see first light in early 2030, aims to detect and characterise exoplanets and circumstellar disks through high- contrast imaging (HCI) and spectroscopy. The High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS), initially developed to support the design of the METIS HCI modes, has evolved into a crucial tool for the METIS science team to prepare and optimize observations. HEEPS is an open-source Python-based software with a modular architecture, integrating the wavefront Fresnel propagation package PROPER, and HCI image processing with the Vortex Image Processing (VIP) package. Though designed for METIS, its modularity has been applied to other HCI instruments as well. This work presents recent updates to HEEPS, including modelling of the final METIS pupil and Lyot stops, revised quasi-static non-common path aberrations (NCPA) and Talbot effect simulations informed by as-built optical surface errors, and updated METIS Single Conjugated Adaptive Optics (SCAO) simulations. We also discuss advancements in NCPA control strategies focusing on framerate, latency and sensing performance optimization, particularly for mitigating water vapor seeing effects using the asymmetric Lyot wavefront sensor (ALF) algorithm. With these refinements, we present a comprehensive grid of HCI performance simulations for METIS, covering a range of magnitudes in the L, M, and N-bands, and several HCI observing modes. These simulations produce updated 5-sigma sensitivity contrast curves and mock HCI observations, providing key insights on HCI performance for instrument optimization and science observation planning. Our results underscore the key role of end-to-end simulations in bridging instrumental design and scientific readiness in the ELT era.
ER -