SHARK is a proposal aimed at investigating the technical feasibility and the scientific capabilities of high-contrast cameras to be implemented at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT). SHARK foresees two separated channels: near-infrared (NIR) channel and visible, both providing imaging and coronagraphic modes. We describe here the SHARK instrument concept, with particular emphasis on the NIR channel at the level of a conceptual study, performed in the framework of the call for proposals for new LBT instruments. The search for giant extra-Solar planets is the main science case, as we will outline in the paper.

Progress in a number of technical areas is enabling imaging and interferometric observations at both smaller angular separations from bright stars and at deeper relative contrast levels. Here we discuss recent progress in several ongoing projects at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. First, extreme adaptive optics wavefront correction has recently enabled the use of very short (i.e., blue) wavelengths to resolve close binaries. Second, phase-based coronagraphy has recently allowed observations of faint companions to within nearly one diffraction beam width of bright stars. Finally, rotating interferometers that can observe inside the diffraction beam of single aperture telescopes are being developed to detect close-in companions and bright exozodiacal dust. This paper presents a very brief summary of the techniques involved, along with some illustrative results.

The detection of telluric extra-solar planets implies an extremely high contrast long exposure imaging capability at near-infrared and probably visible wavelengths. We present here the core of any Planet Finder instrument which is the extreme AO sub-system. The level of AO correction directly impacts on the exposure time required for planet detection. The extreme adaptive optics system has to correct for the perturbation induced by the atmospheric turbulence as well as for the internal aberrations of the instrument itself. An example of application is proposed in the frame of the EPICS project (XAO system for the ESO OWL telescope).

The high contrast (typically $10^{10}$) and small angular separation between a planet and its parent star are the main challenges that need to be overcome to detect and characterize Earth-like planets around the nearest stars. Therefore, exoplanet imaging requires the use of a coronagraph, that ideally efficiently cancels the light from the star and has minimal influence on the planet image. The Phase Induced Amplitude Apodization Coronagraph relies on pupil apodization by geometrical remapping of the flux in the pupil plane. This method combines the advantages of classical pupil apodization with high throughput ($\approx$100%) and high angular resolution (${\approx}\lambda/D$), and has some unique advantages over most coronagraphs, such as low chromaticity, low sensitivity to stellar angular size and to small pointing errors. As a result, planet detection time is about 50–100 times shorter in comparison with classical coronagraphic techniques (Martinache et al. 2005).

Both the advantages of the PIAAC and the main factors affecting the performance of the coronograph will be examined in our laboratory experiment in which high quality PIAA optics wilkl be combined with wavefront control to demonstrate achromatic high contrast imaging ($10^6$ or more) at small angular separation (less than $2\lambda/D$). We present here a description and current status of this experiment together with a short analyses of the main factors affecting the performance of the coronograph.

Three-dimensional common-path interferometer is proposed to obtain achromatic nulling for the on-axial source; the off-axial source remains detectable. The 3D interferometer involves $\pm 90^{\circ }$ polarization rotations in each interferometer arm. That results in the achromatic 180$^{\circ}$ phase shift, so that the on-axial source interferes destructively. Depending on the source axial position, the light energy is split by different ratios between the Bright and the Nulled interferometer outputs. For the linearly polarized on-axial source, all the energy at nearly 100% is directed to the Bright port. For the off-axial source, the light is split by the ratio at nearly 50%/50% between the Bright and the Nulled ports. The common-path scheme compensates effectively the optical path difference (OPD) and it remains stable to mechanical vibrations. Theory, simulations and preliminary breadboard experiments are shown to be in reasonable agreement.

We have recently deployed a four-quadrant phase-mask coronagraph behind an unobscured, circular, off-axis section of the Palomar 200-inch telescope. To obtain very good wavefront correction across the 1.5 m subaperture, our relay optics reimage the sub-aperture onto the adaptive optics system's deformable mirror. This approach combines the advantages of low diffraction from obscuring elements, due to the off-axis aperture, with high wavefront correction, due to the magnification of the pupil, and high stellar rejection, due to the phase mask coronagraph. Our initial on-sky results include Strehl ratios exceeding 90%, peak stellar rejections of >100:1, and an improvement in contrast of 235:1 on a binary of separation $2 \lambda /D$.

A new approach to high contrast observations near bright stars with a single-aperture telescope is discussed, which is based on the idea of a rotating separated-aperture nulling interferometer. The approach can be described as a rotating sub-aperture nuller, because it nulls two or more sub-apertures within a single telescope's pupil, and uses baseline rotation to modulate the signals from off-axis sources in a manner similar to that of potential space-based nulling interferometers. The sub-aperture beams can be combined in a number of ways, including a fiber nuller and a rotational shearing interferometer. Such a rotating nulling coronagraph has two great advantages. First, it can be used on a ground-based telescope to test signal reconstruction approaches pertinent to potential space-based nulling interferometers. Moreover, it also has the potential to enable ground-based coronagraphic observations of faint off-axis companions very close to bright stars.