Related papers: Mid-infrared guided optics: a perspective for astr…
Due to its location and climate, Antarctica offers unique conditions for long-period observations across a broad wavelength regime, where important diagnostic lines for molecules and ions can be found, that are essential to understand the…
The extension of photonic technologies such as lidar and free-space optical communications from the traditional visible and near-infrared wavelengths to longer wavelengths can improve performance in adverse environments such as haze, fog,…
We present an analysis of brown dwarf model spectra in the mid-infrared spectral region (5 - 20 microns), in anticipation of data obtained with the Space Infrared Telescope Facility. The mid-infrared spectra of brown dwarfs are in several…
Photonics offer numerous functionalities that can be used to realize astrophotonic instruments. The most spectacular example to date is the ESO Gravity instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Integrated astrophotonic devices stand…
We report on the fabrication and characterization of composite multimode waveguide structures that consist of a stack of single-mode waveguides fabricated by ultrafast laser inscription. We explore 2 types of composite structures; those…
We are designing and constructing a new SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) instrument to search for direct evidence of interstellar communications via pulsed laser signals at near-infrared wavelengths. The new instrument design…
The use of Immersed Gratings offers advantages for both space- and ground-based spectrographs. As diffraction takes place inside the high-index medium, the optical path difference and angular dispersion are boosted proportionally, thereby…
Conventional transparent materials at optical frequencies have refractive index values (n) greater than unity -- most commonly between about 1 and 4. This paper explores optical phenomena made possible by using materials with refractive…
We review the main advances brought by the Spitzer Space Telescope in the field of nearby galaxies studies, concentrating on a few subject areas, including: (1) the physics of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons that generate the…
Optics is an important subfield of physics required for instrument design and used in a variety of other disciplines, including materials science, physics, and life sciences such as developmental biology and cell biology. It is important to…
Microscopes and various forms of interferometers have been used for decades in optical metrology of objects that are typically larger than the wavelength of light {\lambda}. However, metrology of subwavelength objects was deemed impossible…
The proposed SuperNova/Acceleration Probe (SNAP) mission will have a two-meter class telescope delivering diffraction-limited images to an instrumented 0.7 square-degree field sensitive in the visible and near-infrared wavelength regime. We…
Molecular spectroscopy in the mid-infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (3--25 um) has been a cornerstone interdisciplinary analytical technique widely adapted across the biological, chemical, and physical sciences. Applications…
Multicore fibers are gaining growing attention in astronomy. The two main attributes which make them attractive for astronomy are that they reduce the distance between cores and hence have a superior fill factor to other approaches and they…
The microscale integration of mid- and longwave-infrared photonics could enable the development of fieldable, robust chemical sensors, as well as highly efficient infrared frequency converters. However, such technology would be defined by…
We present an analytical description and an experimental realization of interscale mixing microscopy, a diffraction-based imaging technique that is capable of detecting wavelength/10 objects in far-field measurements with both coherent and…
MIDIR is the proposed thermal/mid-IR imager and spectrograph for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). It will cover the wavelength range of 3 to at least 20 microns. Designed for diffraction-limited performance over the entire…
The need of atmospheric information with a higher spatial and temporal resolution drives the development of small satellites and satellite constellations to complement satellite flagship missions. Since optical systems are a main…
Opening up a new window of millimeter-wave observations that span frequency bands in the range of 30 to 500 GHz, survey half the sky, and are both an order of magnitude deeper (about 0.5 uK-arcmin) and of higher-resolution (about 10…
Acousto-optical devices, such as modulators, filters or deflectors, implement a simple and effective way of light modulation and signal processing techniques. However, their operation wavelengths are restricted to visible and near-infrared…