At her lab in a redwood forest, Jensen-Clem and her students are exploring new technologies to enhance the clarity of Keck Observatory’s primary honeycomb mirror and its smaller “deformable” mirror. These deformable mirrors can adjust their shape quickly based on real-time measurements from atmospheric sensors, allowing them to correct distortions caused by the Earth’s atmosphere. This technique, known as adaptive optics, has been in practice since the 1990s. However, Jensen-Clem is advancing the field with extreme adaptive optics aimed at achieving the highest image quality over a smaller field of view. Her team focuses on mitigating issues such as wind interference and challenges related to the primary mirror itself, striving to capture starlight with such precision that a planet may be detected even if its host star is significantly brighter.
In April, Jensen-Clem and her colleague Maaike van Kooten received the Breakthrough Prize Foundation’s New Horizons in Physics Prize for their potential contributions to detecting small exoplanets, based on innovative techniques they have developed throughout their careers. In July, she was appointed to a committee for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a NASA initiative to search for signs of life beyond Earth, where she will help define the scientific goals for the mission.
Jensen-Clem acknowledges that the road to improving observatory technology has been long but rewarding. Her interest in astronomy began in seventh grade, sparked by a discussion about black holes with her father. This fascination continued through her studies, particularly during an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where she contributed to a project focused on aligning large mirrors. The concept of applying this technology at Keck Observatory remained with her throughout her academic journey. Recently, she successfully installed a Zernike wavefront sensor on Keck’s primary mirror, signifying a significant milestone in her work.
Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/13/1124970/astronomy-planet-hunting-atmosphere/