Kalaga Madhav

Dr. Kalaga Madhav serves as Section Head of the Astrophotonics (innoFSPEC) group at the Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam (AIP), a leading German research institution focused on astrophysics. His work bridges photonics engineering and astronomical instrumentation development, with significant contributions to next-generation observational technologies.

His research focuses on astrophotonics - applying photonic technologies to astronomical instrumentation. Key areas include OH-emission filters for ground-based telescopes, arrayed waveguide gratings for high-resolution spectroscopy, photonic lanterns for multimode applications, and beam combiners for interferometric observations. His innovative work extends to technology transfer applications, notably using astronomical spectrograph techniques for medical diagnostics like skin cancer detection through Raman spectroscopy.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals strong focus on developing integrated photonic circuits that overcome traditional limitations in astronomical observations. His work demonstrates consistent progress in improving spectral resolution, calibration precision, and observational efficiency across ground- and space-based platforms. Notable projects include MARCOT (Multi-Mode Photonic Lantern for Exoplanet Research), PAWS (Potsdam Arrayed Waveguide Spectrograph), and POCO (Potsdam astroComb).

• Temperature-compensating OH line filters for ground-based astronomy
• Multi-mode photonic lanterns for exoplanet research
• Space-based heterodyne interferometry solutions
• Fiber Bragg gratings for sky emission line filtering
• CHARA Array integrated optics testbed (CHARIOT)

Dr. Madhav maintains active collaborations with researchers across multiple institutions, particularly with Martin M. Roth at AIP and international partners involved in CHARA array development. His work demonstrates consistent innovation in applying photonic technologies to solve longstanding challenges in astronomical observation.