The DOI matches its Crossref record; 58 of the 60 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
FUNDAMENTAL LIMITATIONS OF HIGH CONTRAST IMAGING SET BY SMALL SAMPLE STATISTICS
Open accessAbstract
In this paper, we review the impact of small sample statistics on detection thresholds and corresponding confidence levels (CLs) in high-contrast imaging at small angles. When looking close to the star, the number of resolution elements decreases rapidly toward small angles. This reduction of the number of degrees of freedom dramatically affects CLs and false alarm probabilities. Naively using the same ideal hypothesis and methods as for larger separations, which are well understood and commonly assume Gaussian noise, can yield up to one order of magnitude error in contrast estimations at fixed CL. The statistical penalty exponentially increases toward very small inner working angles. Even at 5–10 resolution elements from the star, false alarm probabilities can be significantly higher than expected. Here we present a rigorous statistical analysis that ensures robustness of the CL, but also imposes a substantial limitation on corresponding achievable detection limits (thus contrast) at small angles. This unavoidable fundamental statistical effect has a significant impact on current coronagraphic and future high-contrast imagers. Finally, the paper concludes with practical recommendations to account for small number statistics when computing the sensitivity to companions at small angles and when exploiting the results of direct imaging planet surveys.
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“The small number of statistically independent patches close to the central star means that a correction is required to the sensitivity as described in Mawet et al. (2014), and we apply this correction to the contrast curve.”
From ALMA and NACO observations towards the young exoring transit system J1407 (V1400 Cen) (2020) · cites this paper as Mawet et al. 2014
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Discovery and spectroscopy of the young jovian planet 51 Eri b with the Gemini Planet Imager
Macintosh, B., Graham, Jr., Barman, T., De Rosa, R., Konopacky, Q., Marley, M., Marois, C., Nielsen, E., Pueyo, L. A., Rajan, A., et al. (2015) · eScholarship (California Digital Library) · Cited by 292
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Metadata
- Authors
- Mawet, D., Milli, J., Wahhaj, Z., Pelat, D., Absil, O., Delacroix, C., Boccaletti, A., Kasper, M., Kenworthy, M., Marois, C., Mennesson, B., & Pueyo, L.
- Affiliations
- European Southern Observatory (CL)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Liège (BE)
- European Southern Observatory (DE)
- Leiden University (NL)
- Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics (CA)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Space Telescope Science Institute (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Astrophysical Journal
- Publisher
- American Astronomical Society
- Published
- 2014-08-21
- Volume
- 792
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 97
- ISSN
- 0004-637X (ISSN-L)
- 1538-4357
- OpenAlex
- W2147778163
- Cited by
- 369
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 41 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 6
- FWCI
- 13.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Astrophysical Journal (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- NPARC (submittedVersion)
- ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- California Institute of Technology
- European Commission
- Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
- European Southern Observatory
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics › Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Instrumentation › Astronomy and Astrophysical Research
- Keywords
- high-contrast imaging, small sample statistics, detection threshold, confidence level, false alarm probability, inner working angle, coronagraphy, exoplanet direct imaging, statistical limitations, contrast estimation
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