Optical Device Cancels Starlight So Astronomers Can See Distant Planets

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Grover Swartzlander associate professor in UAs College of Optical Sciences with a laboratory setup that checks an experimental optical vortex mask.
Grover Swartzlander, associate professor in UA's College of Optical Sciences, with a laboratory setup that checks an experimental optical vortex mask.

"Some people say that I study darkness, not optics," jokes Grover Swartzlander. But it's a kind of darkness that will allow astronomers to see the light. Swartzlander, an associate professor in The University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences, is developing devices that block out dazzling starlight, allowing astronomers to study planets in nearby solar systems.


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