Fast Linearized Coronagraph Optimizer (FALCO) IV. Coronagraph design survey for obstructed and segmented apertures

Coronagraphinstruments on future space telescopes will enable the direct detection and characterization of Earth-like exoplanetsaround Sun-like stars for the first time. The quest for the optimal optical coronagraphdesigns has made rapid progress in recent years thanks to the Segmented CoronagraphDesign and Analysis (SCDA) initiative led by the ExoplanetExploration Program at NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory. As a result, several types of high-performance designs have emerged that make use of dual deformable mirrorsto (1) correct for optical aberrationsand (2) suppress diffracted starlightfrom obstructions and discontinuities in the telescope pupil. However, the algorithms used to compute the optimal deformable mirrorsurface tend to be computationally intensive, prohibiting large scale design surveys. Here, we utilize the Fast Linearized CoronagraphOptimizer (FALCO), a tool that allows for rapid optimization of deformable mirrorshapes, to explore trade-offs in coronagraphdesigns for obstructed and segmented space telescopes. We compare designs for representative shaped pupil Lyot and vortex coronagraphs, two of the most promising concepts for the LUVOIR space mission concept. We analyze the optical performance of each design, including their throughput and ability to passively suppress light from partially resolved stars in the presence of low-order aberrations. Our main result is that deformable mirrorbased apodizationcan sufficiently suppress diffraction from support struts and inter-segment gaps whose widths are on the order of ~0.1% of the primary mirror diameter to detect Earth-sized planets within a few tens of milliarcseconds from the star.