Cool Stars 14 - Submitted Abstract # 299
This version created on 05 October 2006

New Worlds Discoverer Occulter Performance


Amy Lo, Northrop Grumman Corporation
Webster Cash, University of Colorado
Jonathan Arenberg, Northrop Grummman Corporation
Chuck Lillie, Northrop Grumman Corporation

We present an overview of the performance of the New Worlds Discoverer
occulter.  New Worlds Discoverer is a multi-petal occulter working in
conjunction with a space telescope to enable direct detection of
exo-planets by extinguishing on-axis starlight.  Very few constraints
are placed on the telescope, and we describe the operation of NWD with
a "generic" telescope.  We give an overview of the physics of the
occulter, including discussions of the occulter geometry and its
effects on inner working angle and resulting starlight suppression.
Factors affecting occulter performance are discussed, including:
occulter size, telescope-occulter separation, number of occulter
petals, and petal apodization.  We also include discussions of the
occulter's tolerance to alignment errors, tilt, and metrology.  

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