A high-precision polarimeter for small telescopes
Article
Article Title | A high-precision polarimeter for small telescopes |
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ERA Journal ID | 1074 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Bailey, Jeremy, Cotton, Daniel V. and Kedziora-Chudczer, Lucyna |
Journal Title | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
Journal Citation | 465 (2), pp. 1601-1607 |
Number of Pages | 7 |
Year | 2017 |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0035-8711 |
1365-2966 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stw2886 |
Web Address (URL) | https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/465/2/1601/2454748 |
Abstract | We describe Mini-HIPPI (Miniature HIgh Precision Polarimetric Instrument), a stellar polarimeter weighing just 650 gm but capable of measuring linear polarization to ~10-5. Mini- HIPPI is based on the use of a Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal modulator. It can easily be mounted on a small telescope and allows us to study the polarization of bright stars at levels of precision which are hitherto largely unexplored. We present results obtained with Mini-HIPPI on a 35-cm telescope. Measurements of polarized standard stars are in good agreement with predicted values. Measurements of a number of bright stars agree well with those from other high-sensitivity polarimeters. Observations of the binary system Spica show polarization variability around the orbital cycle. |
Keywords | Instrumentation: polarimeters; Polarization; techniques: polarimetric |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 5101. Astronomical sciences |
Public Notes | This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2017 The Authors. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. |
Funder | Australian Research Council |
Byline Affiliations | University of New South Wales |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/wz8wz/a-high-precision-polarimeter-for-small-telescopes
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