Polarimetry in Planetary Science—A Step Forward with the VLT and a Need for the ELTs

Details Polarimetry in Planetary Science—A Step Forward with the VLT and a Need for the ELTs Polarimetry in Planetary Science—A Step Forward with the VLT and a Need for the ELTs

Sep 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009em%26p..105...95b&link_type=abstract

Earth, Moon, and Planets, Volume 105, Issue 2-4, pp. 95-100

Physics

1

Polarimetry, Near-Earth Asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, Cometary Nucleus, Coma Material, Life Science, Elt

Scientific paper

We present a brief review of polarimetric measurements of solar system objects, both linear and circular, obtained with the FORS1 instrument at the Very Large Telescope VLT over the past years. A number of first and new results have been obtained by using this unique observing mode at an 8 m class telescope, among them polarimetry of faint planetary bodies like near-Earth asteroids, Kuiper Belt objects and cometary nuclei, spectropolarimetry of cometary coma material and of the Earthshine of the Moon (in order to verify that life exists on Earth!). We outline the science cases for planetary polarimetry at a future Extremely Large Telescope ELT and provide high level requirements for polarimetric equipment to be used at the ELTs for the study of the science cases described.

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