The High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS): influence of ELT/METIS instrumental effects

The High-contrast End-to-End Performance Simulator (HEEPS) is an open-source python-based software with a modular and extensible architecture, that creates end-to-end simulations of high contrast imaging (HCI) instruments. It uses the wavefront Fresnel propagation package PROPER, the telescope instrument data simulator ScopeSim, and the HCI image processing package VIP. In this paper, we present the design of HEEPS, and motivate its baseline structure with the implementation of the Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (METIS) HCI modes, including coronagraphic components such as vortex phase masks, ring apodizers, and apodizing phase plates. Then, we present the key results of our thorough end-to-end simulations starting from 1-hour AO residual phase screens produced with the end-to-end AO simulator COMPASS. We analyze various undesirable effects such as pupil effects (stability, uniformity, drift) and non-common path phase and amplitude errors. Finally, the coronagraphic performance including all effects is shown for all the METIS HCI modes as 5-sigma sensitivity contrast curves after ADI post-processing.