Calibrating Roman’s coronagraph and polarimetry modes
A report from Science says the Roman Space Telescope Coronagraphic imaging modes promise to demonstrate exciting new technologies that will set the stage for NASA’s next great observatory, the Habitable Worlds Observatory. Achieving both the baseline requirements and meeting the “best-effort” goals will require careful target selection and a sophisticated calibration program.
The proposed Roman Coronagraph Community Participation Program contribution will cover aspects B, E, F, H and I. The team will focus on developing detailed calibration simulations, calibration analysis toolkits, and software for applying calibrations to in-flight calibration data, tasks described as critical for the successful achievement of the primary TTRL5 mission success requirement.
The program also emphasizes Roman’s polarimetry mode, aiming to demonstrate high contrast polarimetry at contrasts not achievable from the ground.