A First Generation Far-IR Polarimeter for SOFIA

Details A First Generation Far-IR Polarimeter for SOFIA A First Generation Far-IR Polarimeter for SOFIA

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21347423d&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #474.23; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.431

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Polarimetry at infrared wavelengths is a promising method of investigation
using SOFIA, allowing mapping of magnetic fields in dusty clouds and
characterization of dust grain properties and alignment. We describe an instrument we are building to perform polarimetry at wavelengths from 50
to 200 microns early in the operating lifetime of SOFIA: a cryogenic polarimeter which will be inserted permanently into the facility camera HAWC. The simple polarimeter consists of a continuously-rotating quartz half-wave plate followed by a wire polarizer -- one monochromatic wave plate for each of the four HAWC photometric bands. The polarimeter is removed from the camera beam by rotating the pupil wheel assembly. We anticipate that the polarimeter will be available during the first year of operation of HAWC on SOFIA. Key science targets are expected to be the magnetic field strength and morphology within nearby molecular clouds, the detailed magnetic field configuration of the Galactic Center, and pioneering polarization mapping of nearby galaxies. This HAWC polarimeter is envisaged as a key step toward more powerful far-IR polarimeters on SOFIA and eventually in space.

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