HIPPI-2 : a versatile high-precision polarimeter

Jeremy Bailey, Daniel V. Cotton, Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer, Ain De Horta, Darren Maybour

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We describe the High-Precision Polarimetric Instrument-2 (HIPPI-2) a highly versatile stellar polarimeter developed at the University of New South Wales. Two copies of HIPPI-2 have been built and used on the 60-cm telescope at Western Sydney University's (WSU) Penrith Observatory, the 8.1-m Gemini North Telescope at Mauna Kea and extensively on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). The precision of polarimetry, measured from repeat observations of bright stars in the SDSS g′band, is better than 3.5 ppm (parts per million) on the 3.9-m AAT and better than 11 ppm on the 60-cm WSU telescope. The precision is better at redder wavelengths and poorer in the blue. On the Gemini North 8-m telescope, the performance is limited by a very large and strongly wavelength-dependent TP that reached 1000's of ppm at blue wavelengths and is much larger than we have seen on any other telescope.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere004
Number of pages20
JournalPublications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Volume37
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • polarimetric remote sensing
  • polariscope
  • polarizability (electricity)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'HIPPI-2 : a versatile high-precision polarimeter'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this