Detecting Exoplanets and Beyond Using Astrophotonics

Speaker: Dr Barnaby Norris

Host: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) - Sydney Section

The AIAA Sydney Section hosts a talk by our esteemed guest, Dr Barnaby Norris, from the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, University of Sydney.

Imaging through Earth’s atmosphere is a major challenge for any optical system, whether it is observing distant exoplanets, tracking satellites, communicating through free space, or sensing from airborne and space platforms. Atmospheric turbulence distorts incoming light, blurring images and reducing the precision of optical measurements. The astronomical instrumentation community has addressed this problem using adaptive optics, but many conventional wavefront sensing approaches are complex, alignment-sensitive, and difficult to integrate into compact optical systems.

In this talk, Barnaby will introduce astrophotonics: the use of photonic technologies, such as optical fibres and integrated photonic devices, to solve demanding problems in astronomical instrumentation. I will focus on the photonic lantern, a compact fibre-based device that converts a distorted optical field into multiple single-mode signals. These signals can be used, together with neural-network reconstruction, to measure atmospheric distortions and support real-time optical correction.

Barnaby will then describe how photonic lanterns can be extended beyond wavefront sensing to recover richer information about the focal-plane electric field. This enables new approaches to high-resolution imaging through turbulence, with relevance not only to exoplanet detection, but also to aerospace applications such as optical communication, remote sensing, satellite imaging, beam control, and precision optical metrology.

Barnaby Norris is an ARC Future Fellow at the University of Sydney. Barnaby’s work focuses on novel instrumentation development, implementation and observations. He specialises in astrophotonics in high-angular resolution imaging, including direct imaging, adaptive optics (especially machine learning) and interferometry. He led the design and construction of the VAMPIRES instrument and GLINT photonic nulling interferometer, deployed the Subaru Telescope. Current research focuses on the use of photonic lanterns as combined wavefront sensors and imaging devices, and planet formation and stellar mass-loss from evolved stars.

This event will be hybrid, held in-person at The University of Sydney, and online on Zoom.

Details:

Thursday, June 25

6:00pm-7:00PM (AEST)

In-person location:

University of Sydney

Physics Building, LT5

Online:

Zoom link to be sent out.

Contact the host of Detecting Exoplanets and Beyond Using Astrophotonics - Dr Barnaby Norris

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