On the use of Bowen compensators for polarimetry

Free access article

Issue		Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. Volume 119, Number 1, October_I 1996


Page(s)		171 - 176
DOI		http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/aas:1996235

On the use of Bowen compensators for polarimetry DOI: 10.1051/aas:1996235

Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series, Vol. 119, October I 1996, 171-176

M. Koschinsky and F. Kneer

Send offprint requests to: M. Koschinsky

Universitäts-Sternwarte, Geismarlandstr. 11, D-37083 Göttingen, Germany

Received January 16; accepted February 9, 1996

Abstract:

For high precision polarimetry it is very desirable to observe with a telescope that is free of instrumental polarization. Yet it is often inevitable to introduce optical devices which generate crosstalk between the Stokes Q,U components and the V component due to phase retardations upon reflection at mirror surfaces. We show that Bowen compensators are well suited to compensate for these phase changes. They consist of 2 rotatable

phase retarder plates, and it can be shown that they act on polarized light either by a rotation of the axes of the polarization ellipse followed by a prescribed, desired phase change or by a phase change followed by rotation of the ellipse. We present applications of Bowen compensators in the Gregory Coudé Telescope at the Observatorio del Teide/Tenerife.

Key words: instrumentation: polarimeters --- techniques: polarimetric

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