The path to detecting extraterrestrial life with astrophotonics

TL;DR

This paper explores how astrophotonics, a field applying photonic technologies to astronomy, can advance the detection and characterization of exoplanets and potentially aid in discovering extraterrestrial life.

Contribution

It discusses emerging astrophotonic technologies and their potential to improve exoplanet detection and characterization, especially for identifying signs of extraterrestrial life.

Findings

Astrophotonics offers promising tools for exoplanet observation.

Photonic technologies can enhance spectroscopic analysis of exoplanets.

Potential pathways toward detecting extraterrestrial life are identified.

Abstract

Astrophysical research into exoplanets has delivered thousands of confirmed planets orbiting distant stars. These planets span a wide ranges of size and composition, with diversity also being the hallmark of system configurations, the great majority of which do not resemble our own solar system. Unfortunately, only a handful of the known planets have been characterized spectroscopically thus far, leaving a gaping void in our understanding of planetary formation processes and planetary types. To make progress, astronomers studying exoplanets will need new and innovative technical solutions. Astrophotonics -- an emerging field focused on the application of photonic technologies to observational astronomy -- provides one promising avenue forward. In this paper we discuss various astrophotonic technologies that could aid in the detection and subsequent characterization of planets and in particular themes leading towards the detection of extraterrestrial life.