Astrophotonics: recent and future developments

Abstract

Astrophotonics is a burgeoning field that lies at the interface of photonics and modern astronomical instrumentation. Here we provide a pedagogical review of basic photonic functions that enable modern instruments, and give an overview of recent and future applications. Traditionally, optical fibres have been used in innovative ways to vastly increase the multiplex advantage of an astronomical instrument, e.g. the ability to observe hundreds or thousands of stars simultaneously. But modern instruments are using many new photonic functions, some emerging from the telecom industry, and others specific to the demands of adaptive optics systems on modern telescopes. As telescopes continue to increase in size, we look to a future where instruments exploit the properties of individual photons. In particular, we envisage telescopes and interferometers that build on international developments in quantum networks, the so-called quantum internet. With the aid of entangled photons and quantum logic gates, the new infrastructures seek to preserve the photonic state and timing of individual photons over a coherent network.