Jordan Diaz

Direct imaging of exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – at different stages of their lives is key for understanding the physical processes of planet formation, how planetary systems evolve, and searching for signs of life beyond Earth. Photonic technologies offer new avenues to extend and enhance the capabilities of instrumentation for direct imaging. Using these technologies, I am developing an instrument designed to detect young forming planets

Over 6000 exoplanets- planets outside our solar system -have been detected, but only a few dozen of them have been directly imaged. Direct imaging enables the collection of light from these planets, which is critical to understanding their atmospheric composition, formation, evolution, and potential habitability. However, exoplanets can be billions of times fainter than their host stars, making direct imaging a technological challenge. Photonic technologies provide unique capabilities to control and manipulate light, enabling functionalities that have no other counterparts with classical bulk optics (lenses, mirrors, etc.), offering the potential to access planets on closer orbits. I am developing a photonic-based instrument designed to suppress starlight and isolate light from planets in the process of formation. The instrument is based on optical fiber components that modify the properties of light, allowing the use of the principle of destructive interference and thus removing the excess of light from the star. Here, I present previous results from a laboratory proof-of-concept demonstration using visible light, and provide an update on the instrument’s upgrade for operation in the infrared.