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SUMMARY:Astrophotonics: The Next Wave in Astronomical Instrumentation - Sy
 lvain Veilleux (University of Maryland)
DTSTART:20190515T121500Z
DTEND:20190515T124500Z
UID:TALK122101@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Catrina Diener
DESCRIPTION:Recent breakthroughs in astrophotonics -- photonics applied to
  \nastronomical instrumentation -- have opened the door to replace the lar
 ge \nlenses\, mirrors\, and gratings of conventional astronomical spectrog
 raphs \nwith optoelectronic components to reduce the mass and volume of th
 ese \ninstruments by two to three orders of magnitude\, shorten delivery t
 imes\, \nlower the risk\, and cut the cost proportionally. Photonic instru
 ments are \nalso more amenable to complex light manipulation and massive m
 ultiplexing\, \ncheaper to mass produce\, easier to control\, much less su
 sceptible to \nvibrations and flexures\, and best of all\, have higher thr
 oughput.  In this \ntalk\, I will discuss the latest results from our effo
 rt to develop \nin-house photonic near-infrared (1.0 - 1.7 micron) spectro
 meters where the \ndispersing optics are replaced by miniature (~1 cubic-c
 entimeter) arrayed \nwaveguide gratings imprinted using buried silicon nit
 ride (``nano-core'') \ntechnology\, the leading solution for low-loss wave
 guides (throughput > \n50%). We have also developed highly sophisticated p
 hotonic filters using \ncomplex waveguide Bragg gratings\, produced on the
  same platform technology \nas the photonic spectrometers and equally smal
 l. These novel spectrometers \nand filters offer a wide range of possible 
 astronomical applications\, from \nspectroscopic studies of the distant un
 iverse to searches for \nbiosignatures in the atmospheres of exoplanets.
LOCATION:Sackler Lecture Theatre\, IoA
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