Laboratory characterization of a mode-selective photonic lantern for exoplanet characterization

Yinzi Xin; Daniel Echeverri; Nemanja Jovanovic; Dimitri Mawet; Sergio Leon-Saval; Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa; Stephanos Yerolatsitis; Michael P. Fitzgerald; Pradip Gatkine; Yoo Jung Kim; Jonathan Lin; Barnaby Norris; Garreth Ruane; Steph Sallum

doi:10.1117/12.2676421

5 October 2023 Laboratory characterization of a mode-selective photonic lantern for exoplanet characterization

Yinzi Xin, Daniel Echeverri, Nemanja Jovanovic, Dimitri Mawet, Sergio Leon-Saval, Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa, Stephanos Yerolatsitis, Michael P. Fitzgerald, Pradip Gatkine, Yoo Jung Kim, Jonathan Lin, Barnaby Norris, Garreth Ruane, Steph Sallum

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12680, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets XI; 126800I (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676421
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2023, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Coronagraphs allow for faint off-axis exoplanets to be observed, but are limited to angular separations greater than a few beam widths. Accessing closer-in separations would greatly increase the expected number of detectable planets, which scales inversely with the inner working angle. The Photonic Lantern Nuller (PLN) is an instrument concept designed to characterize exoplanets within a single beam-width, using a device called the Mode-Selective Photonic Lantern (MSPL), a photonic mode-converter that maps linearly polarized modes into individual single-mode outputs. The PLN leverages the spatial symmetry of an MSPL to create nulled ports, which cancel out on-axis starlight but allow off-axis exoplanet light to couple. However, the quality of the nulls is dependent on the symmetry of the lantern modes, which affects how well the starlight can be suppressed. We present results from our laboratory characterization of an MSPL, including measurements of lantern port throughputs (60-90%), images of the mode intensities, and reconstructions of the mode electric fields using off-axis holography. We discuss the implications on the level of starlight suppression that this MSPL can achieve.

Conference Presentation

(2023) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Yinzi Xin, Daniel Echeverri, Nemanja Jovanovic, Dimitri Mawet, Sergio Leon-Saval, Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa, Stephanos Yerolatsitis, Michael P. Fitzgerald, Pradip Gatkine, Yoo Jung Kim, Jonathan Lin, Barnaby Norris, Garreth Ruane, and Steph Sallum "Laboratory characterization of a mode-selective photonic lantern for exoplanet characterization", Proc. SPIE 12680, Techniques and Instrumentation for Detection of Exoplanets XI, 126800I (5 October 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2676421

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