Planar integrated optics and astronomical interferometry

Kern, P.; Berger, Jean–Philippe; Haguenauer, Pierre; Malbet, Fabien; Perraut, K.

doi:10.1016/s1296-2147(01)01160-x

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…A major goal of astrophotonics is to achieve a fully integrated astronomical instrument using integrated optics (IO) technology 7,8 . Such an instrument is envisaged to have a large number of optical functions (including dispersion and detection) involving complex optical circuitry on a chip measuring tens of millimetres.…”

Section: Integrated Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrophotonics: a new era for astronomical instruments

Bland-Hawthorn¹,

Kern²

2009

Opt. Express

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132

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Astrophotonics lies at the interface of astronomy and photonics. This burgeoning field has emerged over the past decade in response to the increasing demands of astronomical instrumentation. Early successes include: (i) planar waveguides to combine signals from widely spaced telescopes in stellar interferometry; (ii) frequency combs for ultra-high precision spectroscopy to detect planets around nearby stars; (iii) ultra-broadband fibre Bragg gratings to suppress unwanted background; (iv) photonic lanterns that allow single-mode behaviour within a multimode fibre; (v) planar waveguides to miniaturize astronomical spectrographs; (vi) large mode area fibres to generate artificial stars in the upper atmosphere for adaptive optics correction; (vii) liquid crystal polymers in optical vortex coronographs and adaptive optics systems. Astrophotonics, a field that has already created new photonic capabilities, is now extending its reach down to the Rayleigh scattering limit at ultraviolet wavelengths, and out to mid infrared wavelengths beyond 2500 nm.

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Section: Integrated Instrumentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Astrophotonics: a new era for astronomical instruments

Bland-Hawthorn¹,

Kern²

2009

Opt. Express

Self Cite

132

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“…Many convenient optical functions can be implemented on the same chip, like light deflection, beam separation and coherent combination, modulation, light dispersion [8,9]. Furthermore, several coherent beam combination schemes are made available using single mode IO, including new schemes that are not provided by conventional bulk optics means.…”

Section: Integrated Optics Applied To Interferometrymentioning

confidence: 99%

On-chip spectro-detection for fully integrated coherent beam combiners

Kern¹,

Coarer²,

Bénech³

2009

Opt. Express

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This paper presents how photonics associated with new arising detection technologies is able to provide fully integrated instrument for coherent beam combination applied to astrophysical interferometry. The feasibility and operation of on-chip coherent beam combiners has been already demonstrated using various interferometric combination schemes. More recently we proposed a new detection principle aimed at directly sampling and extracting the spectral information of an input signal together with its flux level measurement. The so-called SWIFTS demonstrated concept that stands for Stationary-Wave Integrated Fourier Transform Spectrometer, provides full spectral and spatial information recorded simultaneously thanks to a motionless detecting device. Due to some newly available detection principles considered for the implementation of the SWIFTS concept, some technologies can even provide photo-counting operation that brought a significant extension of the interferometry domain of investigation in astrophysics . The proposed concept is applicable to most of the interferometric instrumental modes including fringe tracking, fast and sensitive detection, Fourier spectral reconstruction and also to manage a large number of incoming beams. The paper presents three practical implementations, two dealing with pair-wise integrated optics beam combinations and the third one with an all-in-one 8 beam combination. In all cases the principles turned into a pair wise baseline coding after proper data processing.

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“…More recent progress in photonics presents new ways of guiding light through solid devices, a field known as integrated optics. These devices are powerful as they can be designed to implement micrometre accuracy light circuits, integrating many photonic devices such as light guides, splitters, and couplers into one single device (Kern et al 2001). Furthermore, these devices offer high thermal and mechanical stability as well as a convenient and robust miniature format.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The GLINT South testbed for nulling interferometry with photonics: Design and on-sky results at the Anglo-Australian Telescope

Lagadec

Norris

Gross

et al. 2021

Publ. Astron. Soc. Aust.

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In 1978, Bracewell suggested the technique of nulling interferometry to directly image exoplanets which would enable characterisation of their surfaces, atmospheres, weather, and possibly determine their capacity to host life. The contrast needed to discriminate starlight reflected by a terrestrial-type planet from the glare of its host star lies at or beyond a forbidding $10^{-10}$ for an exo-Earth in the habitable zone around a Sun-like star at near-infrared wavelengths, necessitating instrumentation with extremely precise control of the light. Guided Light Interferometric Nulling Technology (GLINT) is a testbed for new photonic devices conceived to overcome the challenges posed by nulling interferometry. At its heart, GLINT employs a single-mode nulling photonic chip fabricated by direct-write technology to coherently combine starlight from an arbitrarily large telescope at 1 550 nm. It operates in combination with an actuated segmented mirror in a closed-loop control system, to produce and sustain a deep null throughout observations. The GLINT South prototype interfaces the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope and was tested on a sample of bright Mira variable stars. Successful and continuous starlight injection into the photonic chip was achieved. A statistical model of the data was constructed, enabling a data reduction algorithm to retrieve contrast ratios of about $10^{-3}$ . As a byproduct of this analysis, stellar angular diameters that were below the telescope diffraction limit ( $\sim$ 100 mas) were recovered with 1 $\sigma$ accuracy and shown to be in agreement with literature values despite working in the seeing-limited regime. GLINT South serves as a demonstration of the capability of direct-write photonic technology for achieving coherent, stable nulling of starlight, which will encourage further technological developments towards the goal of directly imaging exoplanets with future large ground based and space telescopes.

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Planar integrated optics and astronomical interferometry

Cited by 7 publications

References 15 publications

Astrophotonics: a new era for astronomical instruments

Astrophotonics: a new era for astronomical instruments

On-chip spectro-detection for fully integrated coherent beam combiners

The GLINT South testbed for nulling interferometry with photonics: Design and on-sky results at the Anglo-Australian Telescope

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