SQUIDPOL: Seoul National University QUadruple Imaging Device for POLarimetryShow others and affiliations
2026 (English)In: Journal of the Korean Astronomical Society, ISSN 1225-4614, Vol. 59, no 1, p. 211-223Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
We present SQUIDPOL, a low-cost, multi-channel optical imaging polarimeter that performs simultaneous linear polarization measurements using a rotating half-wave plate, a non-polarizing beam splitter, and four wire-grid filters. We show that the multilayer dielectric coating of the off-the-shelf non-polarizing beam splitter introduces different phase delays to the s- and p-polarized components, which introduces polarization-dependent systematics that can bias polarimetric measurements if left uncorrected. We quantify this effect for both transmitted and reflected beams and incorporate a correction scheme into the data-analysis pipeline. On-sky validation demonstrates stable and reproducible performance, achieving a polarization accuracy of σP ∼ 0.15% for bright polarimetric standard stars (V ∼ 2–3 mag). Mounted on the 60-cm Ritchey-Chrétien telescope (focal length of 4200 mm, f/7) at the Pyeonchang Observatory of Seoul National University, SQUIDPOL provides an effective common field of view of 13.5′ × 8.2′ with a pixel scale of 0.45′′ pixel−1 and supports standard B, V , RC, and IC filters.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Korean Astronomical Society , 2026. Vol. 59, no 1, p. 211-223
National Category
Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Research subject
Atmospheric Science
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-117752DOI: 10.5303/JKAS.2026.59.1.211Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105039583251OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-117752DiVA, id: diva2:2064333
Note
Full text: CC BY-SA license;
For funding information, see: https://doi.org/10.5303/JKAS.2026.59.1.211
2026-06-012026-06-012026-06-01Bibliographically approved