Photonic Chip Links Six Telescopes Into One
A glass chip tested at the CHARA Array could make future observatories smaller, cheaper and more powerful.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Physics
A team led by Heriot-Watt University tested a photonic chip that combines light from six telescopes at the CHARA Array in California. The chip, only a couple of centimetres in size, uses tiny glass channels inscribed by an ultrafast laser to link the telescopes into a single instrument.
Why it matters
Current light-combining methods require bulky arrangements of mirrors and lenses, which limit how observatories are built and operated. A compact chip that performs the same function could reduce cost and size while improving sensitivity.
The chip combines light from six telescopes through channels inscribed by an ultrafast laser, and it outperformed its predecessor by detecting fainter stars during 2024 and 2025 observation campaigns. The source does not quantify the sensitivity gain, and how the design scales beyond six telescopes remains unaddressed.
The players
Heriot-Watt University
A public research university in Edinburgh, Scotland, known for its work in photonics and optical engineering.
CHARA Array
An optical interferometer in California operated by Georgia State University that links six telescopes to observe stars in fine detail.
Georgia State University
A public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, that houses the CHARA Array.
The details
The photonic chip was installed on CHARIOT, an instrument designed to test photonic technologies, and was evaluated during on-sky observations at the CHARA Array. The six-telescope facility can be linked to study celestial objects in extraordinary detail, and the chip is intended to make that linkage more compact.
Timeline
Chip tested during observation campaigns in 2024 and 2025.
The Big Picture
The test extends the six-telescope design of the CHARA Array in California, which already links telescopes to resolve stars in fine detail. Replacing bulky mirror and lens arrangements with a glass chip points toward smaller, less costly interferometers for future observatories.
The chip could eventually allow astronomers to study planetary systems around other stars in greater detail, and it may support direct detection of distant planets. Commercialization timelines are not given in the source.
The takeaway
Smaller, lower-cost light-combining chips could let future observatories achieve more with less equipment. Readers following astronomy can watch for follow-up results on how the chip performs in additional observation campaigns.
Further reading
Explore more on Physics to see how light and optics shape modern instruments.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Debrief.
