This is an introduction to a US government program that conducted high-contrast imaging experiments with an electron multiplying charge coupled device (EMCCD) in an interferometric coronagraph. This report will introduce the concepts of "charge blooming" and "starlight saturation" in the context of high-contrast astronomical imaging. These phenomena adversely effect the performance of high-contrast photon-counting instruments that do not use a mask to physically block starlight in the science channel of the coronagraph. The problems will be presented with the help of images taken with a commercial EMCCD camera in the visible nulling coronagraph at the Goddard Space Flight Center. A new clocking scheme for EMCCDs-variable multiplication gain clocking-will be proposed as a means for suppressing horizontal blooming and starlight saturation in an astronomical camera. This opening report will conclude with a discussion of design considerations for a new controller for high-contrast photon-counting with an EMCCD in a coronagraphic instrument. This controller will allow a single frame from an EMCCD to be scanned in multiple modes-photon-counting and digitization-with a variable multiplication gain clock to enable direct imaging of an exoplanet and wavefront control of a coronagraph, simultaneously.

中文翻译：

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日冕仪器的可变倍增增益成像的成熟电子倍增电荷耦合器件光子计数。


这是对美国政府项目的介绍，该项目在干涉日冕仪中使用电子倍增电荷耦合器件 (EMCCD) 进行高对比度成像实验。本报告将介绍高对比度天文成像背景下的“电荷晕染”和“星光饱和”的概念。这些现象会对高对比度光子计数仪器的性能产生不利影响，这些仪器不使用掩模来物理阻挡日冕仪科学通道中的星光。这些问题将借助戈达德太空飞行中心的可见零日冕仪中的商用 EMCCD 相机拍摄的图像来呈现。一种新的 EMCCD 时钟方案——可变倍增增益时钟——将被提出作为抑制天文相机中水平光晕和星光饱和的手段。本开场报告将讨论冠状仪器中使用 EMCCD 进行高对比度光子计数的新型控制器的设计考虑因素的讨论。该控制器将允许使用可变倍增增益时钟以多种模式（光子计数和数字化）扫描来自 EMCCD 的单帧，从而同时实现系外行星的直接成像和日冕仪的波前控制。