This award will fund the development a high contrast imaging system, for use at the Multiple Mirror Telescope, which is designed to directly image extra-solar planets. This will be accomplished by using a novel wavefront sensing and correction algorithm in conjunction with the construction of an advanced phase apodization plate. The latter will minimize the light from the star about which the potential planet is orbiting while not affecting the light from the planet. By doing this the very faint planet will be detectable very close to the star when using the Adaptive optics system currently in use at the telescope.
