Demonstrating the integration of a photonic lantern with an all-fiber-based nulling interferometer
Abstract
High-contrast imaging of Solar System scale exoplanets and protoplanets demands advancements in instrumentation to access deeper starlight suppression at smaller angular separations than today's state-of-the-art. The multi-mode to single-mode conversion capabilities of photonic lanterns (PLs) provide new avenues to implement techniques such as nulling interferometry due to the inherent spatial filtering of single-mode waveguides. In this work, we present laboratory results on an all-fiber-based focal plane nulling interferometer using off-the-shelf components operating at 1550 nm. We demonstrate the implementation of a PL for coupling light into the instrument, and compare it to the case when laser light is directly fed into the interferometer. The integration of a PL with the interferometer evidences their potential for feeding photonic-based science instruments. Additionally, we discuss expanding the concept of the instrument for the detection of accreting protoplanets.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{diaz2026demonstrating,
title = {{Demonstrating the integration of a photonic lantern with an all-fiber-based nulling interferometer}},
author = {Jordan Diaz and Rebecca Jensen-Clem and Philip M. Hinz and Daren Dillon and Pradip Gatkine and Aditya R. Sengupta and Dan Sirbu and Sarah Tedder and Kevin Bundy and Brian Vyhnalek and Steph Sallum and Matthew C. DeMartino and Stephen Eikenberry and Peter Delfyett and Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.24737},
eprint = {2607.24737},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.24737},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Demonstrating the integration of a photonic lantern with an all-fiber-based nulling interferometer
AU - Jordan Diaz
AU - Rebecca Jensen-Clem
AU - Philip M. Hinz
AU - Daren Dillon
AU - Pradip Gatkine
AU - Aditya R. Sengupta
AU - Dan Sirbu
AU - Sarah Tedder
AU - Kevin Bundy
AU - Brian Vyhnalek
AU - Steph Sallum
AU - Matthew C. DeMartino
AU - Stephen Eikenberry
AU - Peter Delfyett
AU - Rodrigo Amezcua-Correa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/27
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.24737
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.24737
AB - High-contrast imaging of Solar System scale exoplanets and protoplanets demands advancements in instrumentation to access deeper starlight suppression at smaller angular separations than today's state-of-the-art. The multi-mode to single-mode conversion capabilities of photonic lanterns (PLs) provide new avenues to implement techniques such as nulling interferometry due to the inherent spatial filtering of single-mode waveguides. In this work, we present laboratory results on an all-fiber-based focal plane nulling interferometer using off-the-shelf components operating at 1550 nm. We demonstrate the implementation of a PL for coupling light into the instrument, and compare it to the case when laser light is directly fed into the interferometer. The integration of a PL with the interferometer evidences their potential for feeding photonic-based science instruments. Additionally, we discuss expanding the concept of the instrument for the detection of accreting protoplanets.
ER -