A low-cost attachment for telescopes is now enabling researchers to observe outer space sights with a precision that has never been possible before.

In collaboration with the nanofabrication labs at RPC Photonics in Rochester, New York, Penn State astronomers created the new device. They used custom beam-shaping diffusers that minimize the distortions that typically affect the precision of the images captured by telescopes.

Diffusers are adaptable and cheap, making them a great option for enhancing the capability of telescopes. Researchers believe that diffuser-assisted photometry will allow astronomers to gain a deeper understanding of planet candidates.

“This inexpensive technology delivers high photometric precision in observations of exoplanets as they transit – cross in front of – the bright stars they orbit,” said Gudmundur Stefansson, lead author of the study, a graduate student at Penn State, and NASA Earth and Space Science Fellow. “This technology is especially relevant considering the impending launch of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) early in 2018.”

The beam-shaping diffusers are made using a precise nanofabrication process. Polymers have been used as concrete overlays for more than 35 years, but this process uses a plastic polymer on a glass surface as a base for a carefully designed surface pattern.

The innovative diffuser technology was tested at Palomar Observatory, California on the Hale telescope, at Apache Point Observatory, New Mexico on the ARC 3.5m telescope, and at Davey Lab Observatory at Penn State on the 0.6m telescope.

In each test, the diffuser produced more precise images in both intensity and size than conventional methods. On the other hand, a focused telescope without a diffuser can produce images fluctuating in both intensity and size. Even defocusing the telescope still produced inaccurate images.

Shaping the output of light using the diffuser allows astronomers to overcome noise created by the atmosphere, which results in stable and smooth images.

The research team is already in the process of establishing collaborations to apply the diffuser technology on other telescopes worldwide.

“Our goal is to equip the broader exoplanet community with low-cost precision tools to deliver precise measurements to aid future observations in exoplanet science,” said Stefansson.