Stellar Polarimeter for Undergraduate Studies- SPUDS
Faculty Mentor Name
Noel Richardson
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
We are upgrading the 16-in Meade LX200 telescope at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott observatory by adding a polarimeter, enabling the study of polarized starlight. Unlike unpolarized light which contains all orientations of its electric field at the same time, polarized light is restricted to a single orientation of oscillation. Most starlight leaves its star unpolarized and after traveling through materials like dust, the light can become polarized. Using a polarimeter to measure the degree and angle of polarized starlight allows us to study the properties of the star it originated from and the material the light travelled through to become polarized.
Our polarimeter contains six linearly polarized filters fitting into a rotating filter wheel and each filter is angled 30 degrees apart from the last, giving us a range of data about the angle of polarization. Once the instrument is fully operational and a data processing pipeline is established, it will be used to investigate the geometric orientation of disks around hot Be Stars, the inclination of binary Wolf-Rayet stars with strong winds, and the orientation of the magnetic fields of galaxies hosting supernova explosions. Through this expansion, students can collect a new dimension of data to uncover more about the stars they study.
Stellar Polarimeter for Undergraduate Studies- SPUDS
We are upgrading the 16-in Meade LX200 telescope at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott observatory by adding a polarimeter, enabling the study of polarized starlight. Unlike unpolarized light which contains all orientations of its electric field at the same time, polarized light is restricted to a single orientation of oscillation. Most starlight leaves its star unpolarized and after traveling through materials like dust, the light can become polarized. Using a polarimeter to measure the degree and angle of polarized starlight allows us to study the properties of the star it originated from and the material the light travelled through to become polarized.
Our polarimeter contains six linearly polarized filters fitting into a rotating filter wheel and each filter is angled 30 degrees apart from the last, giving us a range of data about the angle of polarization. Once the instrument is fully operational and a data processing pipeline is established, it will be used to investigate the geometric orientation of disks around hot Be Stars, the inclination of binary Wolf-Rayet stars with strong winds, and the orientation of the magnetic fields of galaxies hosting supernova explosions. Through this expansion, students can collect a new dimension of data to uncover more about the stars they study.