IFUs for spectropolarimetry applications

Haosheng Lin, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii

Abstract:

Measurements of the polarization spectra of the sun through an integral 
field unit over an extended field of view with high spectatial, spectral, 
and temporal resolution will allow solar physicists to study the dynamics 
of the solar atmosphere and its interaction with the magnetic fields to
help us eventually understand the physics behind many energetic solar 
phenomena. We have developed the Birefringent Fiber-Optic Image Slicer 
(BiFOIS), a specialized fiber-optic integral field unit optimized for 
high-precision spectropolarimetric observation of the sun. BiFOIS was 
based on a custom fiber ribon constructed from fibers with rectangular 
core and cladding. The rectangular fibers preserves polarization properties 
of light waves as they are guided through the fibers, and allow us to 
performance polarization analysis after the fibers. We ill present the 
design of BiFOIS, its fabrication process, and its polarization preserving 
properties, and show preliminary data obtained with these devices that 
demonstrate their capabilities for high precision spectropolarimetry. 

