The METIS high contrast imaging modes: concept, performance, and perspectives

METIS is one of the three scientific first-generation instruments for the ELT. Its main science goals are focused on exo-planetary systems, including the study of rocky planets around nearby stars. To enable key METIS science cases, high-contrast imaging (HCI) is at the heart of the instrument. Here, we review the concept and design of the METIS HCI modes as presented at the METIS Preliminary Design Review in May 2019. We present the expected performance of METIS HCI based on end-to-end simulations, and discuss the influence of various instrumental effects, including AO-related effects (influence of atmospheric parameters, lag, petal piston, etc). We also discuss our baseline strategy for the measurement and correction of non-common path aberrations (NCPA). Finally, we discuss the perspective of using advanced wavefront measurement and control to improve the METIS HCI performance, including the application of machine learning techniques to the correction of NCPA and to AO predictive control.