Dan Sirbu

Affiliation: NASA Ames Research Center (ARC)

Email: dan.sirbu@nasa.gov

Phone: 650-604-1981

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Professional Biography

Dr. Dan Sirbu is a research scientist in the Astrophysics Branch at NASA Ames. His research interests include the design, modeling, and development of starlight suppression systems for NASA’s space missions. He is currently the principal investigator for AstroPIC a novel photonic nulling coronagraph system for the Habitable Worlds Observatory. He has led vacuum experiments of multi-star wavefront control to enable imaging of binary stars. He is co-leading Hardware Working Group for the Roman Coronagraph Community Participation program and is a member of the Coronagraph and Science Simulations Working Groups for the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

Astrophysicist, NASA Ames Research Center (2020-Present)

Research Scientist, BAERI at NASA Ames Research Center (2017-2020)

Postdoctoral Researcher, USRA at NASA Ames Research Center (2014-2017)

Visiting Scientist, JPL High Contrast Imaging Testbed (2015, 2019-Present)

Visiting Scientist, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center (2015)

Education

PhD in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (2014)

BSc in Electrical Engineering, University of Alberta, Alberta, Canada (2008)

Research Interests

My research interests focus on the development of starlight suppression systems to enable high-contrast imaging of exoplanets in nearby Sun-like systems including development of photonic coronagraphs. I have developed novel wavefront estimation and control techniques and performed instrument sensitivity analysis for current and proposed NASA space flight missions.

Select Publications

D. Sirbu, R. Belikov, K. Fogarty, Z. Sun, C. G. Valdez, O. Solbard, David A.B. Miller, “AstroPIC: Architecture options and trades for integrated photonic coronagraphy”, AAS Meeting Abstracts, 56(2), 2024.

D. Sirbu, R. Belikov, E. Bendek, D. Marx, A.J.E Riggs, C. M Prada, C. M. Prada, B-J Seo, H. Zhou. “Multi-star wavefront control at the occulting mask coronagraph testbed: monochromatic laboratory demonstration for the Roman coronagraph instrument”, Proc. SPIE, Vol, 12680, 2023.

A. Potier et al. “Adaptive optics performance of a simulated coronagraph instrument on a large, segmented space telescope in steady state”, JATIS 8(3), 2022.

D. Sirbu, D. Marx, R. Belikov, E. Bendek, K.W. Fogarty, B. Kern, O. Guyon. “Model validation of phase-induced amplitude apodization complex mask coronagraph for LUVOIR-A in vacuum”, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 11823, 2021.

D. Sirbu, R. Belikov, E. Bendek, C. Henze, E. Pluzhnik. “Demonstration of multi-star wavefront control for WFIRST, Habex, and LUVOIR”, Proc. SPIE, Vol. 11117, 2019.

A. Potier, G. Ruane, C. Stark, P. Chen, A. Chopra, L. Dewell, R. Juanola-Parramon, A. Nordt, L. Pueyo, D. Redding, A.J.E. Riggs, D. Sirbu, “ExoEarth yield landscape for future direct imaging space telescopes”, JATIS 5(2), 2019

D. Sirbu, R. Belikov, E. Bendek, A. J. E. Riggs, S. Shaklan, “ Multi-star wavefront control for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope coronagraph instrument’’, Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 10698, 2018.

D. Sirbu, R. Belikov, E. Bendek, A. J. E. Riggs, S. Shaklan, “ `Prospects for exoplanet imaging in multi-star systems with starshades’’, Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 9904, 2017.

D. Sirbu, S. Thomas, R. Belikov, E. Bendek. “Techniques for high-contrast imaging in multi-star systems. II. Multi-star wavefront control”, The Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 849, Issue 2, 2017

D. Sirbu, S. Thomas, R. Belikov, J. Lozi, E. Bendek, E. Pluzhnik, et al. “Demonstration of broadband contrast at 1.2 Lambda/D and greater for the EXCEDE Starlight Suppression System”, Journal of Astronomical Telescopes , Instruments, and Systems, Vol. 2, Issue 2, 2016

D. Sirbu, Y. Kim, N. J. Kasdin, and R. J. Vanderbei, “`Diffraction-based sensitivity analysis for an external occulter laboratory demonstration”, Applied Optics, Vol. 55, Issue 22, 2016

D. Sirbu, N. J. Kasdin, R. J. Vanderbei, “`Monochromatic verification of high-contrast imaging with an occulter”, Optics Express, Vol 21, Issue 26, 2013.

Select Accepted Proposals

NASA Early Career Initiative (ECI), STMD, FY24-26, “AstroPIC: Photonic Integrated Circuit for Space Astronomy” (1.25M/year funding in FY24-26), (PI, Awarded in Oct. 2023)

NASA Internal Scientist Funding Model (ISFM), FY 23-25, “Multi-Star Wavefront control” (~$700K/year funding) (Co-I, Awarded in Aug. 2022)

NASA ROSES APRA, FY 23-26, “PICTURE-D Balloon Platform” (Co-I, Awarded in Aug. 2022)

NASA Ames Center Investment Fund (IRAD) FY 23, “PIAA-Vortex Coronagraph” (Co-I, Selected in Sept. 2023)

NASA Ames Center Investment Fund (CIF) FY 23, “Photonic Chips for Coronagraphy” (0.5 FTE + $50K funding 2021-2022) (Co-I, Awarded in Sept. 2022)

NASA Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT), FY 18-21, “Laboratory Demonstration of PIAACMC for LUVOIR-A ” (~$1M/year funding) (Co-I, Awarded in Sept. 2017)

NASA Missions

Habitable Worlds Observatory – Instrument and Telescope Simulations, NIR Photonic Coronagraph Architecture

Roman Space Telescope – Hardware Working Group Co-Lead (Coronagraph Community Participation Program)

PICTURE-D – Multi-Star Wavefront Control Technical Demonstration

TOLIMAN (concept) – Member of the Science Team

ACESat (concept) – Multi-Star Wavefront Control for Alpha Centauri

EXCEDE (concept) – Wavefront Control at Small Inner Working Angles for Disk Imaging

LUVOIR (concept) – Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization Coronagraphy and Wavefront Control for Segmented Apertures

Awards & Others

NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate Early Career Initiative (2024)

NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellowship (2014)

NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2013)

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Postgraduate Scholarship (2008)

Princeton University Gordon Wu Graduate Fellowship (2008)