He'e-Lab: A modular testbed for astrophotonics and wavefront sensing development
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Advanced astronomical instrumentation requires accessible, reconfigurable platforms to validate novel technologies and algorithms before on-sky deployment. We present the design, architecture, and alignment validation of the Hawaii Experimental Engineering Lab (He'e-Lab), a state-of-the-art modular testbed dedicated to two complementary research tracks: (A) the integration and characterization of astrophotonics components within a real-time computing loop, and (B) the development of advanced wavefront sensing and control (WFS&C) algorithms. The testbed features a broadband supercontinuum source (500 nm to 2 microns), a high-order 1k-actuator Boston Micromachines deformable mirror, and a 37-segment hexagonal mirror assembly providing piston-tip-tilt control to emulate segmented apertures like Keck and JWST. Downstream capabilities include a HASO 126 Shack-Hartmann sensor, a real-time computing environment driven by the CACAO package, and a modular injection platform coupled to a visible-wavelength spectrograph (R3, 000). We report on the successful system alignment and outline the roadmap for upcoming adaptive optics and photonic device validation frameworks.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institutions: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaii System, University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of California, Berkeley, Astrobiology Center, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres, Observatoire de Paris, Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Université Grenoble Alpes
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7197034286
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