Science and Exploration

Astrophotonics: Astronomy and Modern Optics

By Keith Cowing

Press Release

March 29, 2020

Filed under astro-ph.IM, Astronomy

Astrophotonics: Astronomy and Modern Optics — Astronomical instruments (middle circle) develop in between the desired specifications derived from the astronomical target (inner circle) and the constraints imposed by the available optical technologies (outer circle).

astro-ph.IM

Much of the progress in Astronomy has been driven by instrumental developments, from the first telescopes to fiber fed spectrographs.
In this review we describe the field of astrophotonics, a combination of photonics and astronomical instrumentation that has the potential to drive the next generation of developements. We begin with the science cases that have been identified as possibly benefiting from astrophotonic devices. We then discuss devices, methods and developments in the field along with the advantages they provide. We conclude by describing possible future developments in the field and their influence on astronomy.

S. Minardi, R. Harris, L. Labadie
(Submitted on 27 Mar 2020)

Comments: 83 pages, 6 figures – Invited review article for The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review. Submitted on 9 Nov 2018
Subjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM)
Cite as: arXiv:2003.12485 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2003.12485v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)
Submission history
From: Stefano Minardi
[v1] Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:39:12 UTC (3,473 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.12485

Keith Cowing

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

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