Developing photonic instrumentation for astronomy.

Are you interested in both photonics and astrophysics?

If the answer to both these questions is “yes”, then you may be interested in doing a Ph.D in Astrophotonics - the burgeoning field where photonic principles are applied to instrumentation for astronomy [1].

At Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, we are using three-dimensional integrated optics to develop new types of astronomical instrumentation for applications in areas such as high red-shift astronomy, exoplanet imaging and multi-object spectroscopy. For example, we are currently working to develop integrated photonic multimode filters which will be used to efficiently remove the OH-fluorescence lines generated by the Earth’s atmosphere [2, 3]. These devices will be a key part of future ground-based instruments operating in the near-IR – a key area for future high-redshift astronomical studies [4]. We are also working to develop new integrated beam combiner technologies for telescopes such as the VLTI in Chile [5] - the largest optical interferometer in the world.

We collaborate closely with world leading astronomical instrumentation and photonics groups around the world, such as the UK-Astronomy Technology Centre here in Edinburgh [6], Durham University [3], the University of Sydney [2, 3], the Institut de Planetologie et d’Astrophysique de Grenoble [5] and the University of Bath [2, 3].

During the Ph.D you will be exposed to a wide range of exciting areas including integrated optics, laser materials processing, optical design and astrophysics. The devices you develop will have direct applications in astronomy, but also in areas such as biomedical imaging.
If you are interested, please contact Dr Robert R. Thomson using the contact details below. A couple of references are given below for you to learn more about astrophotonics.

[1] J. Bland-Hawthorn and P. Kern, "Astrophotonics: a new era for astronomical instruments," Opt. Express 17, 1880 (2009)
[2] R. R. Thomson et al, "Ultrafast laser inscription of an integrated photonic lantern," Opt. Express 19, 5698 (2011)
[3] R. R. Thomson et al, "Ultrafast Laser Inscription of a 121-Waveguide Fan-Out for Astrophotonics," arXiv:1203.4584v1
[4] J. Bland-Hawthorn et al, “A complex multi-notch astronomical filter to suppress the bright infrared sky,” Nat. Commun. 2:581 (2011).
[5] A. Ródenas et al, "Three-dimensional mid-infrared photonic circuits in chalcogenide glass," Opt. Lett. 37, 392 (2012)
[6] D. Lee et al, “Performance of volume phase gratings manufactured using ultrafast laser inscription,” To be presented as paper 8450-105 at the 2012 SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation.