A UCLA-led team has accomplished an unprecedented feat: capturing the sharpest image ever recorded of the disk of a distant star, without using a set of telescopes. The advance was possible thanks to a novel device called photonic flashlightreshaping the limits of telescopic imaging. The experiment aimed Beta canis minorisa star located 162 light years away in the constellation Canis Minor. Details of the findings are published in The letters from the astrophysical diaryrevealing new frontiers for high resolution astronomy.
Rethinking the power of telescopes: one lens, infinite possibilities
Traditionally, high-resolution stellar imaging has required the combined power of multiple telescopes in arrays such as the Very large telescope either SOUL. This new technique challenges that paradigm by offering record detail of a only terrestrial instrument. The key to this action lies in the photonic flashlightan advanced fiber optic system that captures and decomposes starlight into multiple channels. These channels preserve fine spatial information that is normally lost in conventional optics.
“In astronomy, the sharpest image details are usually obtained by connecting telescopes. But we achieve this with a single telescope by feeding its light into a specially designed optical fiber, called a photonic flashlight. This device splits light from stars according to their fluctuation patterns, maintaining subtle details that would otherwise be lost. By reassembling the output measurements, we could reconstruct a very high-resolution image of a disk around a nearby star,” he explained. Yoo Jung Kimfirst author and doctoral candidate in UCLA.
This innovation not only streamlines imaging systems, but also opens up possibilities for observatories where it is unfeasible to build large arrays of telescopes. It is a possible turning point in the race to observe weak, distant or compact objects throughout the cosmos.
Designing a new way of seeing
The photonic flashlight was developed thanks to a global collaboration involving institutions from the United States, France, Japan and Australia. The system is part of FIRST-PL instrument, installed in the Subaru Telescope in Hawai’i, and integrates adaptive optics to correct for atmospheric turbulence.
“What excites me most is that this instrument combines cutting-edge photonics with precision engineering done right here in Hawai’i,” he said Sebastian Vievardfrom the Space Science and Engineering Initiative at the University of Hawai’i. “It shows how collaboration across the globe and across disciplines can literally change the way we see the cosmos.”
The flashlight works by separating the light according to its wave front structure and color spectrum, allowing astrophysicists to isolate features that were previously undetectable. Unlike traditional cameras, which are limited by the diffraction limit (the natural barrier imposed by the wave nature of light), the flashlight-based method breaks through that ceiling.
“For any telescope of a given size, the wave nature of light limits the fineness of detail that can be observed with traditional imaging cameras. This is called the diffraction limit, and our team has been working to use a photonic flashlight to advance what can be achieved on this frontier,” he said. Michael Fitzgeraldprofessor of physics and astronomy at UCLA.
Revealing hidden asymmetries in a rotating stellar disk
The objective of this innovative test was Beta canis minoris (β CMi)a rapidly rotating star surrounded by a disk of hydrogen gas. As the disk rotates, Doppler shifts cause subtle blue- and red-shifts on opposite sides: blue-shifted toward the Earth, red-shifted away. Detecting these changes with high precision allowed the team to map the structure of the disk with extraordinary precision.
To his surprise, the disk turned out to be asymmetric—a twisted structure not previously observed. This unexpected finding adds a layer of mystery to the already complex behavior of Be type stars.
“We did not expect to detect an asymmetry like this, and it will be the task of astrophysicists who model these systems to explain its presence,” Kim said.
The data were reconstructed using new computational imaging algorithmsraising positional accuracy five times beyond existing techniques. As pointed out in The letters from the astrophysical diaryThe combination of optical innovation and software development was key to achieving this milestone.
Expanding the frontier of photonic astronomy
This technique not only improves what astronomers can see, it redefines how collect, process and analyze Light from deep space. The implications extend beyond stellar disks to potential studies of exoplanetary atmospheres, protoplanetary disksand weak galactic structures.
“This work demonstrates the potential of photonic technologies to enable new types of measurements in astronomy,” he said. Nemanja Jovanovicco-director of the study in the California Institute of Technology. “We’re just getting started. The possibilities are really exciting.”
Although still in its early stages, this method shows promise for widespread application. Instruments like FIRST-PL can be adapted for use on other telescopes and could play a crucial role in next-generation observatories like the Thirty meter telescope (TMT) or the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).
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