Novel infrared polarimeter for the ESO CRIRES plus instrument

• The CRIRES infrared spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility will soon receive an upgrade. This upgrade will include the addition of a module for performing high-resolution spectropolarimetry. The polarimetry module will incorporate a novel infrared beamsplitter based on polarization gratings (PGs). The beamsplitter produces a pair of infrared output beams, with opposite circular polarizations, which are then fed into the spectrograph. Visible light passes through the module virtually unaltered and is then available for use by the CRIRES adaptive optics system. We present the design of the polarimetry module and measurements of PG behavior in the 1 to 2.7 mu m wavelength range.

Subject headings

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Astronomi, astrofysik och kosmologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

infrared

spectropolarimetry

polarization grating

CRIRES

ESO

VLT

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)