Kyle J. Van Gorkom

Current Projects

Coronagraph instrument development for space: Build and test of the Space Coronagraph Optical Bench (SCoOB) in a thermal vacuum chamber

Vacuum characterization of deformable mirrors: Optical characterization of vacuum dynamics of deformable mirrors for high contrast imaging

Wavefront sensing and control for extreme adaptive optics: Characterization and closed-loop control of deformable mirrors for the ground-based extreme AO system MagAO-X

Previous Projects

Coronagraph Simulations: Point-spread function (PSF) simulations and other code development in support of the Webb coronagraphy pipeline and exposure time calculator.

Center of Curvature Interferometry: Pipeline development, analysis, and data collection support of a high-speed (6kHz) metrology device for the Webb Optical Telescope Element.

Hubble Focus Monitoring: Bi-monthly phase retrieval in support of Hubble focus maintenance.

Active Galactic Nuclei: Investigated the robustness of optical continuum flux as a measure of quasar central engine power as part of an ongoing project aimed at placing constraints on quasar jet orientation.

Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment: Numerically characterized the on-orbit behaviors of a coupled cubesat, femtosat, and non-rigid conducting tether for the MiTEE Mission