Achromatic half-wave plate for submillimeter instruments in cosmic microwave background astronomy: Experimental characterization

Giampaolo Pisano; Giorgio Savini; Peter A.R. Ade; Vic Haynes; Walter K. Gear

doi:10.1364/AO.45.006982

Achromatic half-wave plate for submillimeter instruments in cosmic microwave background astronomy: Experimental characterization

Giampaolo Pisano, Giorgio Savini, Peter A.R. Ade, Vic Haynes, Walter K. Gear

Cardiff University

Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review

52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

An achromatic half-wave plate (HWP) to be used in millimeter cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The design is based on the 5-plates Pancharatnam recipe and it works in the frequency range 85-185 GHz. A model has been used to predict the transmission, reflection, absorption, and phase shift as a function of frequency. The HWP has been tested by using coherent radiation from a back-wave oscillator to investigate its modulation efficiency and with incoherent radiation from a polarizing Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) to explore its frequency behavior. The FTS measurements have been fitted with an optical performance model which is in excellent agreement with the data. A detailed analysis of the data also allows a precise determination of the HWP fast and slow axes in the frequency band of operation. A list of the HWP performance characteristics is reported including estimates of its cross polarization.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	6982-6989
Number of pages	8
Journal	Applied Optics
Volume	45
Issue number	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.45.006982
Publication status	Published - 20 Sep 2006
Externally published	Yes

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abstract = "An achromatic half-wave plate (HWP) to be used in millimeter cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments has been designed, manufactured, and tested. The design is based on the 5-plates Pancharatnam recipe and it works in the frequency range 85-185 GHz. A model has been used to predict the transmission, reflection, absorption, and phase shift as a function of frequency. The HWP has been tested by using coherent radiation from a back-wave oscillator to investigate its modulation efficiency and with incoherent radiation from a polarizing Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) to explore its frequency behavior. The FTS measurements have been fitted with an optical performance model which is in excellent agreement with the data. A detailed analysis of the data also allows a precise determination of the HWP fast and slow axes in the frequency band of operation. A list of the HWP performance characteristics is reported including estimates of its cross polarization.",

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AU - Pisano, Giampaolo

AU - Savini, Giorgio

AU - Ade, Peter A.R.

AU - Haynes, Vic

AU - Gear, Walter K.

PY - 2006/9/20

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Achromatic half-wave plate for submillimeter instruments in cosmic microwave background astronomy: Experimental characterization

Abstract

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