Headshot of Maissa Salama, female, smiling, brown hair, long, parted down the middle, gray blazer, beige button-down plaid shirt.

Maissa Salama

Postdoctoral Fellow

Education

  • Ph.D. (2021) • Astronomy • University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy
  • M.Sc. (2017) • Astronomy • University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy
  • B.Sc. (2014) • Astrophysics • University of California, Berkeley

Current Position

  • Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Dept of Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Using Keck Observatory as an HWO testbed, validating wavefront sensing and control schemes on a large segmented aperture in parallel with high-contrast science observations.

Keck pupil aperture images from the vector-Zernike wavefront sensor, which uses the phase contrast technique to convert phase variations into intensity variations that can be imaged. From these images, we measure the segment pistons on the primary mirror (upper middle). The corresponding stellar PSF image on the NIRC2 science camera is shown in the upper right. After correcting and reducing the segment piston offsets (lower middle), the resulting improved PSF image on NIRC2 is shown in the bottom right. A picture of the Keck segmented primary mirror is shown in the lower left.
We used the vector-Zernike wavefront sensor to measure and correct Keck primary mirror segment piston offsets, improving the adaptive optics corrected stellar PSF image on the NIRC2 science instrument.

Technology Interests

  • High-contrast imaging for direct detection and characterization of exoplanets
  • Segment phasing for high-contrast imaging
  • Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing & control development
  • Ground-based technology development for future space mission applications
  • Metasurface materials development and uses for high-contrast imaging Commissioning new adaptive optics instruments and infrared detectors

Goals and Aspirations

  • Tightly coupled technology development and observing programs to push the limits of exoplanet direct imaging to the lower mass, and more abundant, planet populations, to one day directly image an Earth-like planet around a Sun-like star.
  • Develop close synergy between future space missions and ground-based technology development.
  • Study exoplanet population demographics in order to understand planetary formation and evolution Study habitable exoplanet atmospheres searching for signs of life