SIRPOL Page
 
“SIRPOL” is a JHKs-simultaneous imaging polarimeter
for the IRSF 1.4 m telescope in South Africa
Update: 2007/03/12
Quick Links:
  1. •Z-lab (Nagoya Univ.) Page
  2. •IRSF Homepage
  3. •IRSF Tonight
  4.  
  5. •SIRIUS
  6. •Obs. Manual
  7. -Observation manual (E/J)
  8. •Software
  9. -Reduction pipeline (E)
  10. •SIRPOL
  11. •Obs. Manual
  12. SIRPOLmanual-v11.pdf (J)
  13. •Software
  14. -SIRPOL pipeline
  15. pipeline for CP-mode: (sirpol07.tar.gz)
  16. pipeline for LP-mode (sirpol.tar.gz, sirpol-guide.pdf, J)
  17. pipeline for quick reduction:
  18.  quick reduction pipeline (J)
  19. -Vector display software
  20. sirpol_soft_v2.pdf (J)
  21. (Please contact Hashimoto-san for the latest package. email: hashmtjn [at] optik.mtk.nao.ac.jp)
  22. •Reduction/Analysis manual
  23. -SIRPOL Reduction Guide (J)
  24.  
  25. •OBSUTIL
  26. Standard Stars
  27. -Photometric Standards
  28. -UKIRT POL Standards
  29. Weather Info.
  30. -Weather Forecast
  31. -Weather Monitor (SALT)
  32. -Cloud Monitor (sutherland)
  33. Obs. Prep.
  34. -SIMBAD
  35. -T-El, Az-El Plot (staralt)
  36. -Coordinate Converter
  37. -Julian Date Converter
  38. Extinction Atlas Query
  39. -All Sky Atlas of Dark Clouds
  40.   from Dobashi et al. (2005)
  41. -SkyView (advanced)
  42. -DSS, DSS-WideField
  43.   How to use batch interface
  44. Star Catalog Query
  45. -Gator, VisieR
  46. -Catalog Archives in NAOJ
  47. -USNO Catalog
  48. Paper Search
  49. -ADS, astro-ph, citebase
  50. -Star Formation News Letter
  51. Misc.
  52. -Photometric System Database
  53. -Astro Utility for Macintosh
 
 
Hot News:
  1. •[2007.03.12] Link to the SIRPOL-CP pipeline (“sirpol07.tar.gz”: download page)
  2. •[2007.02.02] Uploaded: SIRPOL-LP/CP twilight flat (super flat). See below.
  3. •[2007.01.18] Link to the SIRPOL-LP pipeline (“sirpol.tar.gz”: download page)
  4. •[2006.12.17] IRSF/SIRPOL Circular Polarization Mode First Light !!
  5. •[2006.09.18]  SIRPOL press release (ASJ meeting in Kitakyushu)
  6. •[2006.07.04]  Uploaded: SPIE proceeding on SIRPOL (download: pdf/E).
  7. •[2006.05.24-31]  SIRPOL Presentation in SPIE@Florida/Orlando.
  8. •[2006.04.28]  Updated: Polarization Efficiencies of SIRPOL (see below).
  9. •[2006.03.31]  Updated: SIRPOL Obs. Manual (v11).
  10. •[2006.03.31]  Updated: SIRPOL Reduction Guide (v1.2).
  11. •[2006.03.07]  “SIRPOL Reduction Guide (v1)” is now available.
  12. •[2006.03.06]  Updated: Polarization vector display software (v2).
  13. •[2006.03.05]  Updated : SIRPOL Obs. Manual (v10).
  14. •[2006.03.01]  Uploaded: SIRPOL twilight flat (super flat). See below.
  15. •[Dec 2005 - Mar 2006]  SIRPOL First Light Run
  16. •[2005.12.25] IRSF/SIRPOL Linear Polarization Mode First Light !! (X’mas night)
  17.  
SIRPOL: A JHKs-simultaneous imaging polarimeter
We developed a polarimeter for the near-infrared camera SIRIUS mounted on the IRSF 1.4 m telescope in South Africa. The polarimeter, SIRPOL, consists of an achromatic (1-2.5 micron) wave plate rotator unit and a polarizer located upstream of the camera, both of which are at a room temperature. This minimizes the effect of the mirrors in the camera on instrumental polarization. The combination of the polarimeter with the SIRIUS camera enables a deep (J=19.2 mag, 5 sigma in one hour) and wide-field (7.7' x 7.7') imaging polarimetry at JHKs simultaneously. The three color near-infrared polarimetry is useful for understanding the properties of dust grains that cause scattering and absorption in various environments (e.g., star forming regions, late-type stars, and galaxies). Using IRSF and SIRPOL, wide-field near-infrared polarization surveys in various star-forming regions are being conducted, starting from 2006, which aim to study both reflection nebulae associated with young stars and interstellar polarizations of background stars.
 
Performance (LP mode):
  1. •JHKs polarimetric images can be taken simultaneously.
  2. •Field of View:
  3.  7.7’ x 7.7’ (1k x 1k x 3 images, pixel scale=0.45”/pixel)
  4. •Sensitiveity (point source):
  5.  J=19.2, H=18.6, Ks=17.3 mag
  6.  (S/N=5, 15 min exp. in total for each waveplate angle)
  7. •Accuracy of Polarization Degree Meas.:
  8.  0.3 % for bright sources (J < 15.0, H < 14.5, Ks < 13.0 mag)
  9.  delta P < 1%:  J < 16.5, H < 15.7, Ks < 14.5 mag
  10.  delta P < 3%:  J < 17.5, H < 17.0, Ks < 15.7 mag
  11. •Accuracy of Polarization Angle Meas.:
  12.  better than 3 degree for bright sources (at J, H, and Ks)
  13. •Observation Efficiency:
  14.  100 min for typical 10 sec x 4 waveplate angles x 10 dither x 9 set obs.
  15.   (15 min exp. in total for each waveplate angle)
  16. •Shortest Exposure Time:
  17.  1.6 sec  (depending on the shortest read-out time of the detectors)
  18. •Sky background at Ks:
  19.  300 - 400 ADU/sec when temperature is 20 degrees C
  20.   (at the same level as in the normal imaging mode)
Calibration Parameters (LP):
  1. •Correction Angle:
  2.   105 degree at J, H, and Ks
  3. •Polarization Efficiency (last update: 28 Apr 2006):
  4.   95.5 % at J, 96.3 % at H, 98.5 % at Ks
 
Performance (CP mode):
  1. •JHKs polarimetric images can be taken simultaneously.
  2. •Field of View:
  3.  7.7’ x 7.7’ (1k x 1k x 3 images, pixel scale=0.45”/pixel)
  4. •Sensitiveity (point source):
  5.  Roughly same as those in LP mode.
  6. •Accuracy of Polarization Degree Meas.:
  7.  In prep.
  8. •Observation Efficiency:  
  9.  In prep.
Calibration Parameters (CP):
  1. •Polarization Efficiency:
  2.  In prep.
 
Calibration Data:
  1. •SIRPOL-LP Twilight Flat (super flat)
  2. Dec 2005 - Jan 2006:
  3.   J:  jtwfJan06.fits,  H:  htwfJan06.fits,  Ks:  ktwfJan06.fits  
  4.   (Data used:  twflat data for 17 nights taken in the period from Dec 2005 to Feb 2006.)
  5. Jun 2006 - Jul 2006:
  6.   J:  jtwfLP06Jun.fits,  H:  htwfLP06Jun.fits,  Ks:  ktwfLP06Jun.fits  
  7.   (Data used:  twflat data for 12 nights taken in the period from Jun 2006 to Jul 2006.)
  8. Nov 2006 - Jan 2007:
  9.   J:  jtwfLP06Nov07Jan.fits,  H:  htwfLP06Nov07Jan.fits,  Ks:  ktwfLP06Nov07Jan.fits  
  10.   (Data used:  twflat data for 6 nights taken in the period from Nov 2006 to Jan 2007.)
  11. •SIRPOL-CP Twilight Flat (super flat)
  12. Dec 2006 - Jan 2007:
  13.  J:  jtwfCP06Dec.fits,  H:  htwfCP06Dec.fits,  Ks:  ktwfCP06Dec.fits  
  14.   (Data used:  twflat data for 8 nights taken in the period from Dec 2006 to Jan 2007.)
  15. •A report on the time variation of the flat field -> (click here)
  16.  
Publication List:
  1. •Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of the Star Forming Region NGC 2024
  2. Kandori, R., Tamura, M., Kusakabe, N., Nakajima, Y., Nagayama, T., Nagashima, C., Hashimoto, J., Ishihara, A., Nagata, T., and Hough, J. H., 2007, PASJ, In press (astro-ph)
  3.  
  4. •Near-Infrared Imaging Polarimetry of the Star Forming Region NGC 2071 with SIRPOL
  5. Tamura, M., Kandori, R., Hashimoto, J., Kusakabe, N., Nakajima, Y., Sato, S., Nagashima, C., Kurita, M., Nagata, T., Nagayama, T., and Hough, J. H., Matsumoto, T., and Chrysostomou, A., 2007, PASJ, In press (astro-ph)
  6.  
  7. •Near-Infrared Polarization Images of the Orion Molecular Cloud 1 South Region
  8. Hashimoto, J., Tamura, M., Kandori, R., Kusakabe, N., Nakajima, Y., Sato, S., Nagashima, C., Kurita, M., Nagata, T., Nagayama, and Hough, J. H., 2007, PASJ, In press (astro-ph)
  9.  
  10. •Near-Infrared Polarization Images of the Orion Nebula
  11. Tamura, M., Kandori, R., Kusakabe, N., Nakajima, Y., Hashimoto, J., Nagashima, C., Nagata, T., Nagayama, T., Kimura, H., Yamamoto, T., Hough, J. H., Lucas, P., Chrysostomou, A., and Bailey, J., 2006, ApJ, 649, 29 (ADS)
  12.  
  13. •SIRPOL: a JHKs-Simultaneous Imaging Polarimeter for the IRSF 1.4-m Telescope
  14. Kandori, R., Kusakabe, N., Tamura, M., Nakajima, Y., Nagayama, T., Nagashima, C., Hashimoto, J., Hough, J. H., Sato, S., Nagata, T., Ishihara, A., Lucas, P., Fukagawa, M., 2006, Proc. SPIE, 6269, 159    (download: pdf, ADS)
  15.  
Talk and Poster List:
AAS annual meeting in Seattle, USA（5-10, Jan, 2007）
  1. •Kusakabe, N., Tamura, M., Kandori, R., Hashimoto, J., Nakajima, Y., et al., “Wide-Field NIR Polarimetry of the Orion Nebula” (poster)
日本天文学会2006年秋季年会（9/18-21, 九州国際大学＠北九州市）
  1. •「Infrared Polarization View of the Orion Nebula Revealed with SIRPOL」、田村元秀（国立天文台）他　（口頭講演）
  2. •「M42の近赤外偏光観測：磁場構造」、日下部展彦（総研大）他　（口頭講演）
  3. •「OMC-1Sの近赤外偏光観測」、橋本 淳（東京理科大）他　（口頭講演）
  4. •「NGC2024の近赤外偏光観測」、神鳥 亮（国立天文台）他　（口頭講演）
  5.  
Press Release List:
日本天文学会2006年秋季年会（９月18日、北九州市立児童文化科学館）
  1. •タイトル：オリオン星雲からの赤外線の偏り
  2. •発表者　：神鳥 亮（国立天文台）、田村元秀（国立天文台）、日下部展彦（総研大）
  3. 　　　　　（Tamura, M., Kandori, R., Kusakabe, N., et al. 2006, ApJ, 649, 29）
  4. •掲載紙の一覧：
  5. -朝日新聞、讀売新聞、日本経済新聞、産経新聞、東京新聞、共同通信、朝日小学生新聞など
  6. •プレスリリースのトップページはこちら
 
Presentation Materials:
  1. •SPIE / Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation @Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA (24-31 May 2006)
  2.   - Development of SIRPOL:  R. Kandori (pdf/E)
  3. •Infrared Survey Workshop @Atami/Hotel KKR (23-24 Feb 2006)
  4.   - SIRPOL First Light:  R. Kandori (pdf/J)
  5. •IRSF Meeting @Mitaka-TV (4 Dec 2005)
  6.   - SIRPOL Memo:  M. Tamura (pdf/J)
  7.   - SIRPOL Status:  R. Kandori (pdf/J)
  8. •IRSF Workshop @Nagoya-U (18 Aug 2005)
  9.   - SIRPOL Status:   R. Kandori (pdf/J)
  10.  
 
NIR Polarization View of
the Orion Nebula (LP)
SIRPOL LP-mode (linear pol., 2005 Dec -)
SIRPOL CP-mode (circular pol., 2006 Dec -)
OMC-1 South (LP)
NGC 2071 (LP)
NGC 2024 (LP)