The Astro-Comb: A laser frequency comb for astronomical spectrograph wavelength calibration and exoplanet detection

Photonics Society and co-sponsoring Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society

Social/Dinner – 6:30PM

One of the next major milestones in exoplanet astronomy is the use of the radial velocity technique to detect Earth-like exoplanets: long-period, terrestrial worlds around solar-type stars. One crucial component for such detections is precise calibration of the spectrograph used for radial velocity measurements. We have built an astro-comb consisting of a Ti:Sapphire-based laser frequency comb, photonic crystal fiber (PCF) that shifts the Ti:Sapphire light into the visible region of the spectrum, and Fabry-Perot filter cavities that match the frequency comb tooth spacing to the resolution of the spectrograph. This astro-comb operates at the Italian National Telescope calibrating the HARPS-N spectrograph providing wavelength calibration at levels better than required to detect earths-like extra-solar planets. I will present the design and operation of this instrument and some results from using the astro-comb to characterize the HARPS-N spectrograph.

Dr. David F. Phillips, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Dr. Phillips received his B.S. with Honors from the California Institute of Technology in 1988, and his Ph.D at Harvard University in 1996. As a staff scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Dr. Phillips works with frequency combs and bringing precision measurement techniques from physics to astronomy. Dr. Phillips also works with atomic clocks, developing new devices, and using existing clocks to test fundamental symmetries of nature.

This meeting begins at 7:00 PM Thursday June 21st, 2018 and will be located 3 Forbes Road(a MIT Lincoln Laboratory facility), Lexington, MA, 02420.

The meeting is free and open to the public. All are welcome. Prior to the seminar there will be a pizza & networking/social starting at 6:30 PM, and is also open to all.

For more information contact Ajay Garg, IEEE Boston Photonics Society Chapter chair at ajay.sinclair.garg@ieee.org, or visit the IEEE Boston Photonics Society Chapter website at www.bostonphotonics.org.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This meeting will be held at the Forbes Road site for MIT Lincoln Laboratory as the main facility is not available due to heightened security. The address is: 3 Forbes Road, Lexington, MA 02420 (about 1.5 miles south of the main MIT-LL site) and a map is available at: http://www.ll.mit.edu/about/mapForbesRoad.html. Entrance is by the flags.