Experimental demonstration of a quantum-optimal coronagraph using spatial mode sorters

Deep sub-diffraction exoplanet discovery currently lies beyond the reach of state-of-the-art direct imaging coronagraphs, which typically have an inner working angle larger than the diffraction scale. We present an experimental demonstration of a direct imaging coronagraph design capable of achieving the quantum limits of exoplanet detection and localization below the Rayleigh diffraction limit. Our benchtop implementation performs a forward and inverse pass through a free-space programmable spatial mode sorter configured to isolate photons in a point spread function-adapted mode basis. During the forward pass, the fundamental mode is rejected, effectively eliminating light from an on-axis point-like star. On the inverse pass, the remaining modes are coherently recombined to form an image of a faint companion. Our experimental system is shown localizing an artificial exoplanet at sub-diffraction distances from its host star under a 1000:1 star–planet contrast.