The optical vortex coronagraph

An optical vortex coronagraph is a high contrast imaging system which has the potential to completely extinguish light from an on-axis point source, allowing glare-free, high throughput imaging of off-axis targets. An important application is the direct detection of exoplanets orbiting distant stars. The optical physics of the OVC is reviewed, a heuristic argument describing its operation is presented for the first time, and performance limitations are explored.