Cool Stars 14 - Submitted Abstract # 340
This version created on 05 October 2006

Smoothing out the wrinkles:  on-sky testing of the Apodized Phase
Plate at 5 microns


Matthew Kenworthy, Steward Observatory
Johnan Codona, Steward Observatory
Phil Hinz, Steward Observatory
Suresh Sivanandam, Steward Observatory

We present the first on-sky tests of an apodized phase plate (APP)
designed to suppress diffraction up to and including parts of the
first diffraction ring.  Used in combination with the 6.5m MMT AO
system and the unique low thermal background the deformable secondary
mirror provides, the APP significantly reduces the speckle noise
present in the PSF subtraction residuals.  Theoretical cooling curves
of extrasolar planets indicate a broad nonthermal feature at 4 to 5
microns that decays more slowly with time than the features at H and K
band.  We are extending our surveys to include older stars and to look
for close-in planets using APPs for both L and M bands, and to
additionally test for source incoherence using simple static
wavefronts applied to the deformable mirror.  

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