Experimental validation of photonic lantern imaging and wavefront sensing performance
Abstract
Photonic lanterns (PLs) are fiber-based waveguides that are capable of focal-plane wavefront sensing while simultaneously directing light to downstream science instruments. The optimal choice of wavefront reconstruction algorithm has yet to be determined, and likely depends on the particular observing scenario under consideration. Previous work in simulation suggests that PLs can be used for nonlinear wavefront sensing for several applications, including sensing the low-wind effect and correcting large-amplitude aberrations. We present the design of muirSEAL (miniature IR SEAL), a testbed designed to test PL wavefront reconstruction over Zernike modes and segmented-mirror offsets. We demonstrate throughput and linear wavefront reconstruction at multiple f-numbers. We further present initial laboratory imaging of a new photonic lantern fabricated at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2508.20078,
title = {Experimental validation of photonic lantern imaging and wavefront sensing performance},
author = {Aditya R. Sengupta and Vincent Chambouleyron and Jordan Diaz and Matthew DeMartino and Rebecca Jensen-Clem and Benjamin L. Gerard and Michael J. Messerly and Paul Pax and Daren Dillon and Kevin Bundy and Maria Cuevas and Sylvain Cetre and Bruce Macintosh and Caleb Dobias and Tara Crowe and Stephen S. Eikenberry and Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa and Stephanos Yerolatsitis},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.20078},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
submitted to SPIE Astronomical Applications 2025, paper number 13627-84