Photonic Integrated Circuit TUned for Reconnaissance and Exploration (PICTURE)

This paper describes our three-year program to develop, demonstrate and assess the performance of the building blocks necessary to realize a revolutionary mid-infrared spectrometer, Photonic Integrated Circuit TUned for Reconnaissance and Exploration (PICTURE), based on integrated photonics technology. It will offer ultra-small size, weight, and power, with non-moving parts and low cost for future planetary missions. The fully developed PICTURE instrument will provide a cost-effective, high-resolution spectrometer for CubeSat and SmallSat, as well as larger satellites.