SAIL: Advancing Photonics for Astronomy and Industry

SAIL operates within the Sydney Institute for Astronomy and Institute for Optics and Photonics (IPOS) at University of Sydney . It is experimental arm for developing photonics‑based instruments for astronomy and industry. SAIL stands for Sydney Astrophotonic Instrumentation Laboratory directed by Professor Sergio Leon‑Saval. It formed part of group established by Joss Bland‑Hawthorn and collaborates with Astralis‑USyd under Julia Bryant, Institute of Photonics and Optical Science, and other nodes of Astralis consortium

SAIL focuses on advanced instrumentation. It produces specialty devices such as Photonic Lanterns, Fibre Bragg Gratings, laser combs, scramblers, and instruments for spectroscopy and interferometry and hexabundles with high optical throughput and low focal‑ratio degradation. SAIL works on fringe‑tracking (Heimdallr) and Advanced Photonic Nuller for the VLT and support SUBARU telescope  . It also works on cube‑sat technology and industry use of its photonic developments. SAIL contributed to SAMI, enabling simultaneous spatially resolved spectroscopy of many galaxies via hexabundles. It leads development of Hector instrument for the Anglo‑Australian Telescope using larger hexabundles and robotic positioning with partner organisation Astralis-USYD