Related papers: Membrane Space Telescope: Active Surface Control w…
Future large space telescopes will be equipped with adaptive optics (AO) to overcome wavefront aberrations and achieve high contrast for imaging faint astronomical objects, such as earth-like exoplanets and debris disks. In contrast to AO…
Active wavefront control in high-power laser illumination systems is important for technologies such as additive manufacturing, free-space laser communication, and power transmission. Conventional spatial light modulators (SLMs) and…
Passive radiative cooling drawing the heat energy of objects to the cold outer space through the atmospheric transparent window (8 um - 13 um) is significant for reducing the energy consumption of buildings. Daytime and nighttime radiative…
We study a resonant interaction of an elliptically polarized light wave with $^{87}$Rb vapor (D$_1$ line) exposed to a transverse magnetic field. A $5$$\times$$5$$\times$$5$~mm$^3$ glass vapor cell is used for the experiments. The wave…
Transformational optics allow for a markedly enhanced control of the electromagnetic wave trajectories within metamaterials with interesting applications ranging from perfect lenses to invisibility cloaks, carpets, concentrators and…
We describe a practical implementation of the anamorphically curved detector concept. In order to demonstrate its advantages, a telescope lab prototype was developed, built, and tested. It is based on a 4-mirror all-spherical unobscured…
This study examines the behavior and tunability of plasmonic lenses created from arrays of nanoslits, applicable in sub-wavelength optical microscopy and other high-resolution imaging systems. We performed simulations on COMSOL Multiphysics…
The mirrors installed on Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes like the MAGIC telescopes in La Palma, Canary Islands, are constantly exposed to the harsh environment. They have to withstand wind-induced corrosion from dust and sand,…
We report the experimental demonstration of tunable asymmetric acoustic metasurfaces with extreme contrast, made by two decorated membrane resonators (DMRs) coupled via a sealed air column. The front side of the metasurface is impedance…
In the framework of the GLARE-X (Geodesy via LAser Ranging from spacE X) project, led by INFN and funded for the years 2019-2021, aiming at significantly advance space geodesy, one shows the initial activities carried out in 2019 in order…
We investigate a setup where a cloud of atoms is trapped in an optical lattice potential of a standing wave laser field which is created by retro-reflection on a micro-membrane. The membrane vibrations itself realize a quantum mechanical…
The Astro2020 decadal survey recommended an infrared, optical, ultra-violet (IR/O/UV) telescope with a $\sim$6~m inscribed diameter and equipped with a coronagraph instrument to directly image exoEarths in the habitable zone of their host…
There is an every-growing need to construct large space telescopes and structures for observation of exo-planets, main-belt asteroids and NEOs. Space observation capabilities can significant enhanced by large-aperture structures. Structures…
Photonic devices rarely provide both elaborate spatial control and sharp spectral control over an incoming wavefront. In optical metasurfaces, for example, the localized modes of individual meta-units govern the wavefront shape over a broad…
We designed a metallic programmable mirror for optical wavelengths made up of a large number of discrete steps which can be moved independently by actuators. The device is able to easily reshape an incident beam, imprinting on it an optical…
Emerging technology based on artificial materials containing metallic structures has raised the prospect for unprecedented control of terahertz waves through components like filters, absorbers and polarizers. The functionality of these…
Adaptive optics (AO) have been used to correct wavefronts to achieve diffraction limited point spread functions in a broad range of optical applications, prominently ground-based astronomical telescopes operating in near infra-red. While…
Atomic wave interferometers are tied to a telescope pointing towards a faraway star in a nearly free falling satellite. Such a device is sensitive to the acceleration and the rotation relatively to the local inertial frame and to the tidal…
Actively tunable and reconfigurable wavefront shaping by optical metasurfaces poses a significant technical challenge often requiring unconventional materials engineering and nanofabrication. Most wavefront-shaping metasurfaces can be…
Collocated tactile sensing is a fundamental enabling technology for dexterous manipulation. However, deformable sensors introduce complex dynamics between the robot, grasped object, and environment that must be considered for fine…