  Astrophotonics is the application of versatile photonic technologies to
channel, manipulate, and disperse guided light from one or more telescopes to
achieve scientific objectives in astronomy in an efficient and cost-effective
way. The developments and demands from the telecommunication industry have
driven a major boost in photonic technology and vice versa in the last 40
years. The photonic platform of guided light in fibers and waveguides has
opened the doors to next-generation instrumentation for both ground- and
space-based telescopes in optical and near/mid-IR bands, particularly for the
upcoming extremely large telescopes (ELTs). The large telescopes are pushing
the limits of adaptive optics to reach close to a near-diffraction-limited
performance. The photonic devices are ideally suited for capturing this
AO-corrected light and enabling new and exciting science such as characterizing
exoplanet atmospheres. The purpose of this white paper is to summarize the
current landscape of astrophotonic devices and their scientific impact,
highlight the key issues, and outline specific technological and organizational
approaches to address these issues in the coming decade and thereby enable new
discoveries as we embark on the era of extremely large telescopes.
