Christopher Mendillo
Assistant Research Professor
- Ph.D. (2013) • Astronomy • Boston University
- B.S. (2005) • Physics • Brown University
- Assistant Research Professor, Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology UMASS Lowell
- PI of the PICTURE-D NASA balloon mission.
In-flight image from the PICTURE-C coronagraph showing a demonstration of image-plane wavefront control to create a D-shaped dark zone on the right side of the star. The star would be located at the center of this image, but it is obscured by the coronagraph mask. The background starlight on the right side of the image has been reduced by a factor of ~1000 relative to the left side of the image. This dark zone is where an exoplanet or debris disk could be detected.
- Telescopes and coronagraph instruments for direct imaging of exoplanets
- High and low-order wavefront control for coronagraphs
- Optical design, tolerancing and simulation for coronagraph instruments
- Polarization aberration induced by optical coatings
- Incorporation of photon-counting detectors for exoplanet imaging
- Develop a reliable and adaptable sub-orbital exoplanet science platform.
- Integrate cutting edge technologies to rapidly raise TRL in a near-space environment.
- Incorporate graduate and undergraduate students at all levels of mission design and implementation.
- Mature key technologies and operations concepts for future space-based direct imaging missions.