# Astro2020: Astrophotonics White Paper

## TL;DR

Astrophotonics leverages advanced photonic technologies to enhance astronomical instrumentation, enabling more efficient, cost-effective observations and scientific discoveries with next-generation telescopes, especially in exoplanet research.

## Contribution

This white paper summarizes the current state of astrophotonic devices, their scientific impact, and outlines technological and organizational strategies for future development in the era of extremely large telescopes.

## Key findings

- Photonic technologies have significantly advanced astronomical instrumentation.
- Astrophotonics enables improved exoplanet atmosphere characterization.
- Next-generation telescopes will benefit from integrated photonic devices.

## Abstract

Astrophotonics is the application of versatile photonic technologies to channel, manipulate, and disperse guided light from one or more telescopes to achieve scientific objectives in astronomy in an efficient and cost-effective way. The developments and demands from the telecommunication industry have driven a major boost in photonic technology and vice versa in the last 40 years. The photonic platform of guided light in fibers and waveguides has opened the doors to next-generation instrumentation for both ground- and space-based telescopes in optical and near/mid-IR bands, particularly for the upcoming extremely large telescopes (ELTs). The large telescopes are pushing the limits of adaptive optics to reach close to a near-diffraction-limited performance. The photonic devices are ideally suited for capturing this AO-corrected light and enabling new and exciting science such as characterizing exoplanet atmospheres. The purpose of this white paper is to summarize the current landscape of astrophotonic devices and their scientific impact, highlight the key issues, and outline specific technological and organizational approaches to address these issues in the coming decade and thereby enable new discoveries as we embark on the era of extremely large telescopes.