Instruments without optics: an integrated photonic spectrograph

J. Bland-Hawthorn; A. Horton

doi:10.1117/12.670931

28 June 2006 Instruments without optics: an integrated photonic spectrograph

J. Bland-Hawthorn, A. Horton

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6269, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy; 62690N (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.670931
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2006, Orlando, Florida , United States

Abstract

In recent years, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on achieving the diffraction limit with large aperture telescopes. For a well matched focal-plane instrument, the diffraction limit provides the highest possible angular resolution and sensitivity per pixel. But it offers another key advantage as we now show. Conventionally, as the telescope aperture D grows, the instrument size grows in proportion to D, and the cost increases as D² or faster. However, an instrument that operates at the diffraction limit can break the trend of spiralling costs. In traditional instruments, the light must pass through a succession of large lenses, mirrors and gratings, making it difficult to conserve the integrity of such a small psf. An alternative approach, as we now show, is to couple the diffraction-limited beam directly into an integrated photonic spectrograph operating in low-order modes.

Citation Download Citation

J. Bland-Hawthorn and A. Horton "Instruments without optics: an integrated photonic spectrograph", Proc. SPIE 6269, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy, 62690N (28 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.670931

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