Related papers: A self-calibrating polarimeter to measure Stokes p…
To obtain full Stokes spectra in multi-wavelength windows simultaneously, we developed a new spectro-polarimeter on the Domeless Solar Telescope at Hida Observatory. The new polarimeter consists of a 60 cm aperture vacuum telescope on an…
We present the first experimental results on the use of a thick aligned Si crystal acting as a quarter wave plate to induce a degree of circular polarisation in a high energy linearly polarised photon beam. The linearly polarised photon…
The value of accurately knowing the absolute calibration of the polarizing elements in the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) becomes especially important when conducting studies which require measuring degrees of…
We present a simple but powerful technique for the analysis of polarized emission from radio galaxies and other objects. It is based on the fact that images of Stokes parameters often contain considerably more information than is available…
A mathematical framework is presented for use in the experimental determination of the polarimetric response of observatory instrumentation. Elementary principles of linear algebra are applied to model the full matrix description of the…
Optics labs are an integral part of the advanced curriculum for physics majors. Students majoring in other disciplines, like chemistry, biology or engineering rarely have the opportunity to learn about the most recent optical techniques and…
The backscattering of laser radiation by a relativistic electron beam is a widely used method for measuring the spin polarization of electrons. We consider again the properties of the scattering process paying special attention to recoil…
The polarimetry of the light scattered by planetary surfaces is a powerful tool to provide constraints on their microstructure. To improve the interpretation of polarimetric data from icy surfaces, we have developed the POLarimeter for ICE…
Controlling polarisation directly at low temperature is crucial for development of optical spectroscopy techniques at sub-Kelvin temperatures, for example, in a hybrid scheme where light is fed into and collected in the cryostat by fibres…
We report on the experimental implementation of a polarimeter based on a scheme known to be optimal for obtaining the polarization vector of ensembles of spin-1/2 quantum systems, and the alignment procedure for this polarimeter is…
A telescope polarization model for the SST [Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope] is developed and the parameters of this model are fitted to polarization measurements made with a 1-meter linear polarizer in front of the entrance window. In this…
We have developed a vacuum-ultraviolet spectropolarimeter to measure the linear polarization of spectral lines around the Lyman-$\alpha$ wavelength. The main components for polarimetry are a rotatable MgF$_2$ waveplate and a SiO$_2$/MgF$_2$…
We observe the build up of strong (~50%) spontaneous vector polarisation in emission from a GaN-based polariton laser excited by short optical pulses at room temperature. The Stokes vector of emitted light changes its orientation randomly…
A standard procedure to achieve accurate, precise, and fast polarization measurement is to choose analyzing and generating polarization states that yield an $\ell^2$-condition number optimized instrument matrix. This strategy works well for…
We discuss the experimental techniques used to date for measuring the changes in polarization state of a laser produced by a strong transverse magnetic field acting in a vacuum. We point out the likely artifacts that can arise in such…
X-shooter is one of the most popular instruments at the VLT, offering instantaneous spectroscopy from 300 to 2500 nm. We present the design of a single polarimetric unit at the polarization-free Cassegrain focus that serves all three…
We present a novel approach to precisely synthesize arbitrary polarization states of light with a high modulation bandwidth. Our approach consists of superimposing two laser light fields with the same wavelength, but with opposite circular…
We demonstrate that the multipoles associated with the density matrix are truly observable quantities that can be unambiguously determined from intensity moments. Given their correct transformation properties, these multipoles are the…
An eight stage balanced modulation scheme for dual beam polarimetry is presented in this paper. The four Stokes parameters are weighted equally in all the eight stages of modulation resulting in total polarimetric efficiency of unity. The…
In this chapter we present a brief summary of methods, instruments and calibration techniques used in modern astronomical polarimetry in the optical wavelengths. We describe the properties of various polarization devices and detectors used…