Modeling the instrumental polarization of the VLT and E-ELT telescopes with the M&m's code

M. de Juan Ovelar; S. Diamantopoulou; R. Roelfsema; T. van Werkhoven; F. Snik; Johan Pragt; C. Keller

doi:10.1117/12.926588

25 September 2012 Modeling the instrumental polarization of the VLT and E-ELT telescopes with the M&m's code

M. de Juan Ovelar, S. Diamantopoulou, R. Roelfsema, T. van Werkhoven, F. Snik, Johan Pragt, C. Keller

Proceedings Volume 8449, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy V; 844912 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926588
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Abstract

Polarimetry is a particularly powerful technique when imaging circumstellar environments. Currently most telescopes include more or less advanced polarimetric facilities and large telescopes count on it for their planet-finder instruments like SPHERE-ZIMPOL on the VLT or EPICS on the future E-ELT. One of the biggest limitations of this technique is the instrumental polarization (IP) generated in the telescope optical path, which can often be larger than the signal to be measured. In most cases this instrumental polarization changes over time and is dependent on the errors affecting the optical elements of the system. We have modeled the VLT and E-ELT telescope layouts to characterize the instrumental polarization generated on their optical paths using the M&m's code, an error budget and performance simulator for polarimetric systems. In this study we present the realistic Mueller matrices calculated with M&m's for both systems, with and without the setups to correct for the IP, showing that correction can be achieved, allowing for an accurate polarimetric performance.

Citation Download Citation

M. de Juan Ovelar, S. Diamantopoulou, R. Roelfsema, T. van Werkhoven, F. Snik, Johan Pragt, and C. Keller "Modeling the instrumental polarization of the VLT and E-ELT telescopes with the M&m's code", Proc. SPIE 8449, Modeling, Systems Engineering, and Project Management for Astronomy V, 844912 (25 September 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.926588

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