A high precision polarimeter for small telescopes

Abstract

We describe Mini-HIPPI (Miniature HIgh Precision Polarimetric Instrument), a stellar polarimeter weighing just 650 grams but capable of measuring linear polarization to $\sim 10^{-5}$. Mini-HIPPI is based on the use of a Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (FLC) modulator. It can easily be mounted on a small telescope and allows study of the polarization of bright stars at levels of precision which are hitherto largely unexplored. We present results obtained with Mini-HIPPI on a 35 cm telescope. Measurements of polarized standard stars are in good agreement with predicted values. Meaurements of a number of bright stars agree well with those from other high-sensitivity polarimeters. Observations of the binary system Spica show polarization variability around the orbital cycle.

7 pages, 7 figures, accepted by MNRAS

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• The rotation of alpha Oph investigated using polarimetry
• Polarimetric detection of nonradial oscillation modes in the beta Cephei star beta Crucis
• Polarimetric and radiative transfer modelling of HD 172555
• Phase-locked polarization by photospheric reflection in the semidetached eclipsing binary ${\mu }^1$ Sco
• Polarization measurements of the polluted white dwarf G29-38
• A Decade of Linear and Circular Polarimetry with the POLISH2 Polarimeter
• PICSARR: high-precision polarimetry using CMOS image sensors
• The polarization of the binary system Spica, and the reflection of light from stars
• Polarization position angle standard stars: a reassessment of $\theta$ and its variability for seventeen stars based on a decade of observations