High-resolution integrated photonic micro-spectrographs for radial velocity exoplanet astronomy

The Integrated Photonic Spectrograph (IPS) is a complete spectrograph within a single silica photonic chip that has no moving parts and is far smaller than existing bulk-optic spectrographs [1,2]. The typical IPS format employs a lithographically created Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) structure in a silica-on-silicon chip, which inputs light from a standard optical fibre and outputs a spectrum that is dispersed over several millimetres, rather than the hundreds of centimetres with conventional spectrographs [3].