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Vortex fiber nulling (VFN) is a single-aperture interferometric technique fordetecting and characterizing exoplanets separated from their host star by lessthan a diffracted beam width. VFN uses a vortex mask and single mode fiber toselectively reject starlight while coupling off-axis planet light with a simpleoptical design that can be readily implemented on existing direct imaginginstruments that can feed light to an optical fiber. With its axially symmetriccoupling region peaking within the inner working angle of conventionalcoronagraphs, VFN is more efficient at detecting new companions at smallseparations than conventional direct imaging, thereby increasing the yield ofon-going exoplanet search campaigns. We deployed a VFN mode operating in K band($2.0{-}2.5~\mu$m) on the Keck Planet Imager and Characterizer (KPIC)instrument at the Keck II Telescope. In this paper we present the instrumentdesign of this first on-sky demonstration of VFN and the results from on-skycommissioning, including planet and star throughput measurements and predictedflux-ratio detection limits for close-in companions. The instrument performanceis shown to be sufficient for detecting a companion $10^3$ times fainter than a$5^{\mathrm{th}}$ magnitude host star in 1 hour at a separation of 50 mas(1.1$\lambda/D$). This makes the instrument capable of efficiently detectingsubstellar companions around young stars. We also discuss several routes forimprovement that will reduce the required integration time for a detection by afactor ${>}$3.

Vortex Fiber Nulling for Exoplanet Observations: Implementation and First Light