We report on the search for new eclipsing white dwarf plus main-sequence (WDMS) binaries in the light curves of the Catalina surveys. We use a colour selected list of almost 2000 candidate WDMS systems from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, specifically designed to identify WDMS systems with cool white dwarfs and/or early M type main-sequence stars. We identify a total of 17 eclipsing systems, 14 of which are new discoveries. We also find 3 candidate eclipsing systems, 2 main-sequence eclipsing binaries and 22 non-eclipsing close binaries. Our newly discovered systems generally have optical fluxes dominated by the main-sequence components, which have earlier spectral types than the majority of previously discovered eclipsing systems. We find a large number of ellipsoidally variable binaries with similar periods, near 4 hours, and spectral types M2-3, which are very close to Roche-lobe filling. We also find that the fraction of eclipsing systems is lower than found in previous studies and likely reflects a lower close binary fraction among WDMS binaries with early M-type mainsequence stars due to their enhanced angular momentum loss compared to fully convective late M type stars, hence causing them to become cataclysmic variables quicker and disappear from the WDMS sample. Our systems bring the total number of known detached, eclipsing WDMS binaries to 71.

In the context of the space-based nulling mission ESA-Darwin, Thales Alenia Space has developed a nulling breadboard for the European Space Agency (ESA): the multiaperture imaging interferometer (MAII) to demonstrate deep and stable nulling and to investigate various subsystems of the ESA-Darwin interferometer. Recently, we have extended our investigations to the multiaxial beam combination. This combination scheme presents many advantages: simplicity, compactness, and a high coupling efficiency for a three-beam combination. The near-infrared (lambda approximately 1.55 microm) MAII breadboard has been upgraded to the multiaxial beam combination. Polarization and stability issues have been thoroughly investigated. We report on the recent results we have obtained with the multiaxial configuration of MAII in unpolarized light with a relative spectral bandwidth of 5%: nulling ratios of mean value N=1.7 x 10(-5), stable over 1 h with a standard deviation sigma( N )=5.7 x 10(-7). These results indicate that the multiaxial beam combination has the potential to meet Darwin requirements.

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The evanescent wave coronagraph (EvWaCo) is a specific kind of band-limited coronagraph using the frustrated total internal reflection phenomenon to produce the coronagraphic effect (removing starlight from the image plane in order to make the stellar environment detectable). In this paper, we present a theoretical and experimental study of the EvWaCo coronagraphic mask. First, we calculate the theoretical transmission and we show that this mask is partially achromatic. Then, we present the experimental results obtained in unpolarized light at the wavelength λ≈900 nm and relative spectral bandwidth Δλ/λ≈6%. In particular, we show that the coronagraph provides a contrast down to a few 10^-6 at an angular distance of about ten Airy radii.

The evanescent wave coronagraph uses the principle of frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) to suppress the light coming from the star and study its close environment. Its focal plane mask is composed of a lens and a prism placed in contact with each other to produce the coronagraphic effect. In this paper, we present the experimental results obtained using an upgraded focal plane mask of the Evanescent Wave Coronagraph (EvWaCo). These experimental results are also compared to the theoretical performance of the coronagraph obtained through simulations. Experimentally, we reach a raw contrast equal to a few 10−4 at a distance equal to 3 λ/D over the full I band (λ c = 800 nm, Δλ/λ ≈ 20%) and equal to 4 λ/D over the full R band (λ c = 650 nm, Δλ/λ ≈ 23%) in unpolarized light. However, our simulations show a raw contrast close to 10−4 over the full I band and R band at the same distance, thus confirming the theoretical achromatic advantage of the coronagraph. We also verify the stability of the mask through a series of contrast measurements over a period of 8 months. Furthermore, we measure the sensitivity of the coronagraph to the lateral and longitudinal misalignment of the focal plane mask and to the lateral misalignment of the Lyot stop.