Daigo Tomono

Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

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About

Daigo Tomono is a key figure in the development of cryogenic instrumentation for ground-based astronomy, specializing in the design and fabrication of complex opto-mechanical systems for near-infrared spectrographs. His primary research areas include cryogenic mask handling, integral field unit (IFU) technology, and robotic positioning systems for multi-object spectroscopy. Tomono’s major contributions center on enabling high-multiplex, diffraction-limited observations in the cold, vacuum environments essential for infrared astronomy. He led the development of the cryogenic mask-exchange unit for LUCIFER (now LUCI) at the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), a system capable of storing and swapping 33 cold field and multi-slit masks—a foundational achievement cited over 7 times. He also advanced fiber-based IFU design for the VLT’s KMOS spectrograph, describing micro-lens arrays that allow 20 deployable units to simultaneously capture spectra across a 7.2 arcmin field. These innovations have directly supported major surveys of galaxy evolution and star formation. With a career spanning two decades at the forefront of instrument building, Tomono’s work remains essential reading for engineers and astronomers developing next-generation cryogenic focal-plane systems.