Midinfrared broadband achromatic astronomical beam combiner for nulling interferometry
Abstract
Integrated optic beam combiners offer many advantages over conventional bulk optic implementations for astronomical imaging. To date, integrated optic beam combiners have only been demonstrated at operating wavelengths below 4 microns. Operation in mid-infrared wavelength region, however, is highly desirable. In this paper, a theoretical design technique based on three coupled waveguides is developed to achieve fully achromatic, broadband, polarization-insensitive, lossless beam combining. This design may make it possible to achieve the very deep broadband nulls needed for exoplanet searching.
- Publication:
-
Applied Optics
- Pub Date:
- December 2010
- DOI:
- 10.1364/AO.49.006675
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1012.0790
- Bibcode:
- 2010ApOpt..49.6675H
- Keywords:
-
- Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- Accepted for publication in Applied Optics