Peak contrast as a function of wavelength and different coronagraphs for the ELT (blue), GMT (purple), and TMT (red). Each color represents a different telescope, and the line style changes for each coronagraph. The solid lines show the performance of a second-order coronagraph (theoretically “perfect” for an unaberrated system), the dashed lines that of a fourth-order coronagraph, and the dotted lines that of a sixth-order coronagraph. The center wavelength of each of the simulated photometric bands is shown at the bottom of the figure. The peak contrast shows an exponential decline with increasing wavelength. A peak contrast of 10⁻⁵ is reached between H and K bands.