QuantEYE: A quantum optics instrument for extremely large telescopes

We have carried out a conceptual study for an instrument (QuantEYE) capable to detect and measure photon-stream statistics, e.g. power spectra or autocorrelation functions. Such functions increase with the square of the detected signal, implying an enormously increased sensitivity at the future Extremely Large Telescopes, such as the OverWhelmingly Large (OWL) telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). Furthermore, QuantEYE will have the capability of exploring astrophysical variability on microsecond and nanosecond scales, down to the quantum-optical limit. Expected observable phenomena include instabilities of photon-gas bubbles in accretion flows, p-mode oscillations in neutron stars, and quantum-optical photon bunching in time. This paper describes QuantEYE, an instrument aimed to realize the just described science, proposed for installation at the ESO OWL telescope focal plane. The adopted optical solution is relatively simple and possible with actual technologies, the main constraint essentially being the present limited availability of very fast photon counting detector arrays. Also some possible alternative designs are described, assuming a future technology development of fast photon counting detector arrays.