Optical polarimeters in spaceA review is presented of the instrumentation used for the measurement of optical polarization from aircraft, balloon, rocket, satellite, and spacecraft platforms. The four parameters which can be measured at a given wavelength, time, and direction in an incoherent beam of radiation include intensity, linear polarization, its position angle, and circular polarization. An instrument that by design is made sensitive to any of the three polarization parameters is considered a polarimeter. Attention is given to passive polarimeters operating in the range from 0.1 to 1000 micrometers. All known optical space polarimeters are listed in a table. Questions of instrument operation in space are discussed along with details of polarization analysis, aspects of accuracy and calibration, and the scientific studies conducted with the polarimeters.
Document ID
19740049403
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Coffeen, D. L. (Arizona, University Tucson, Ariz.; Columbia University, New York, N.Y., United States)
Date Acquired
August 7, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1974
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: Colloquium on the Planets, stars and nebulae studied with photopolarimetry