Progress towards an ultra-compact photonic magnetograph

We present recent progress on the “Magnetograph using Interferometric and Computational imaging for Remote Observations” (MICRO) concept which promises to collapse the bulk of the optical elements of the magnetograph to a single, multilayer wafer.The long-term goal of our MICRO project is to create a class of magnetographs that dispense with traditional telescopes and mechanical filter components — replacing them with a stack of integrated circuits. We achieve this by using a patented combination of interferometric imaging, tunable lasers, and digital processing. Photonic magnetographs could scale from 2cm in diameter to 30cm on a single silicon wafer, with resolutions varying from 1 to 16 arc seconds while retaining an essentially wafer-like profile. Here we review recent progress on our laboratory demonstration and new approaches based upon our results.