Construction of an Infrared Spectropolarimeter

该奖项将支持高精度、高灵敏度分光偏振计的建设，使用范围从1到4微米。该仪器将包括冷和热旋转波片与一个冷的内部偏振器。有效分辨能力R=180，仪器偏振度小于0.1%。该仪器将包含一个16元素的InSb探测器阵列，并将在1到4微米的所有波长范围内以该分辨率进行背景限制。在科学上，这个奖项将针对星际尘埃特征、彗星、非常多尘的演化恒星和活动星系的核心进行研究。红外光谱偏振法将提供星际尘埃中硅酸盐和碳化合物之间关系的重要信息，以及显示碳质化合物发射的星际尘埃环境的重要信息。红外光谱偏振法还将使我们能够探测彗星的彗发、尘埃恒星的星周壳和活动星系核的发射机制之间的几何和空间关系。

This award will support construction of a high accuracy, high sensitivity spectropolarimeter for use from 1 to 4 micrometers. The instrument will incorporate both cold and warm rotating waveplates with a cold internal polarizer. The effective resolving power will be R=180 and instrumental polarization will be less than 0.1%. The instrument will incorporate a 16 element InSb detector array and will be background limited at this resolution at all wavelengths from 1 to 4 micrometers. Scientifically, this award will target interstellar dust features, comets, very dusty evolved stars and nuclei of active galaxies for study with this instrument. Infrared spectropolarimetry will provide important information on the relationships between silicate and carbon compounds in interstellar dust and on the environment of interstellar dust that exhibits emission from carbonaceous compounds. Infrared spectropolarimetry will also allow us to probe the geometry and the spatial relationships between emission mechanisms in the coma of comets, the circumstellar shells of dusty stars, and the nuclei of active galaxies.