Super Resolving Astronomical Targets by Leveraging Quantum Measurements

For approximately the past 150 years the resolution of astronomical measurements has been constrained to the diffraction limit of the collecting aperture or synthesized aperture. Achieving high-resolution imagery of stars or probing extended structures meant either building a bigger telescope or going towards aperture synthesis through interferometry. Recent advances in the field of quantum measurements have shown that incoherent sources, such as stellar companions, lends themselves to a specific kind of modal analysis that can achieve sub-diffraction limited estimates on the separation of the two objects down to theoretically zero separation. By decomposing light into an orthogonal basis, such as Hermite-Gaussian modes, the underlying mode structure provides information to the observer not readily available in a classical measurement scheme. The intent of this proposal is to further develop and demonstrate a bench-top setup showing the method used to probe the underlying mode structure, referred to as mode-selective sum frequency generation, and its applicability to astronomical imaging. Of special interest in furthering the TRL is understanding the range of applicability of the modal analysis technique, the broadband nature of the measurement schemes, development of efficient parameter extraction algorithms, and the interface to the telescope.

The Astrophysics Research and Analysis program (APRA) supports suborbital and suborbital-class investigations, development of detectors and supporting technology, laboratory astrophysics, and limited ground-based observing. Basic research proposals in these areas are solicited for investigations that are relevant to NASA's programs in astronomy and astrophysics, including the entire range of photons, gravitational waves, and particle astrophysics. The emphasis of this solicitation is on technologies and investigations that advance NASA astrophysics missions and goals.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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