Optical characterization of infrared telluride glass fibers for space use

Development of IR single mode optical fibers for DARWIN-nulling interferometry

The DARWIN mission aims to detect weak infra-red emission lines from distant orbiting earth-like planets using nulling interferometry. This requires filtering of wavefront errors using single mode waveguides operating at a wavelength range of 6.5-20 μm. This article describes the optical design of the fibers, the manufacturing protocol, the...

Selenium modified GeTe₄ based glasses optical fibers for far-infrared sensing

This study reports on the synthesis of telluride glasses that have transmission far beyond the second atmospheric window and are stable enough toward crystallisation to be drawn into optical fiber. These glasses are based on the GeTe₄ initial composition which has been stabilized by the introduction of few percents of Se and a...

Telluride glass step index fiber for the far infrared

Nulling interferometry is an important technique under development for the DARWIN planet finding mission which enables the detection of the weak infrared emission lines of an orbiting planet. This technique requires the use of single mode optical fibers transmitting light as far as possible in the infrared. Tellurium based glasses transmit...

Te-rich Ge-Te-Se glass for the CO2 infrared detection at 15 μm

Te80-xGe20Sex glasses have been prepared along the GeSe4-GeTe4 axis using the classical method in silica tube under vacuum. A phase separation domain appears for composition around Te40Ge20Se40. Our attention was turned toward the Te-rich compositions corresponding to 1 < x < 5 at.%. These glasses are transparent from 4 to about 20 μm without...

Infrared single mode chalcogenide glass fiber for space

An important measuring technique under study for the DARWIN planet finding mission, is nulling interferometry, enabling the detection of the weak infrared emission lines of an orbiting planet. This technique requires a perfect wavefront of the light beams to be combined in the interferometer. By using a single mode waveguide before detection,...