SOFIA Polarimetry:Recent Musings
C. Darren Dowell
JPL/Caltech
2007 August 14
SOFIA 1st Generation Instruments
SOFIA 1st Generation Instruments
no polarimeter
SOFIA Polarization ScienceClass II
Galaxies
What about tenuous clouds? Starless environments?
Polarization spectrum of GMCs
Class 0/IMagnetic Field Strengths; Turbulence
SOFIA Polarization ScienceClass II
Galaxies
What about tenuous clouds? Starless environments?
Polarization spectrum of GMCs
Class 0/IMagnetic Field Strengths; Turbulence
SOFIA Polarimetry MeetingChicago area, July 2007
• Participants: (S. Casey), J. Cho, D. Chuss, R. Crutcher, J. Dotson, D. Dowell, D. Falceta-Goncalves, P. Frisch, A. Harper, F. Heitsch, R. Hildebrand, T. Hoang, T. Jones, L. Kirby, M. Krejny, A. Lazarian, R. Loewenstein, L. Looney, (H. Moseley), G. Novak, (C. Packham), R. Pernic, D. Sandford, (M. Savage), J. Vaillancourt, (M. Werner), J. Wirth, G. Wolf-Chase
• Representing: Ames, Caltech, Chicago, Florida, Goddard, Illinois, JPL, S. Korea, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Wisconsin
• Unanimous support for an interim solution: polarimeter for HAWC
• HAWC polarimeter options:– cold, spinning half-wave plates at
pupil wheel– warm variable-delay polarization
modulator in foreoptics
• Design principles:– goal of facility observing mode– switch from camera mode to
polarization mode without opening cryostat
– air worthiness approval– parallel development
(JPL/Caltech?); outside HAWC critical path
– integrate with HAWC after HAWC is ready for SOFIA
HAWC Polarimeter Options
spinning half-wave plates
HAWC Polarimeter Options
reflective modulator
HAWC Polarimeter Options
• estimated cost for either option: $1M
spinning half-wave plates
Excellent Sensitivity
Paths to SOFIA Polarimetry
• Polarimetry will be well-represented at August SPIE session “SOFIA Instrumentation”– Chris Packham: mid-IR (based on FORCAST)– John Vaillancourt: far-IR (HAWCHale)
• Seed funding possibilities:– JPL R&D fund: $200k?– NASA ROSES: ???
• SOFIA first-generation upgrade program?• SOFIA second generation instrument program
– Hale (“SuperHAWC”): 5000 pixel far-IR camera / polarimeter, advanced mapping capability (entire GMCs)
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