Space-qualified liquid-crystal variable retarders for wide-field-of-view coronagraphs

Uribe-Patarroyo, N.; Alvarez-Herrero, A.; García Parejo, P.; Vargas, J.; Heredero, R. L.; Restrepo, R.; Martínez-Pillet, V.; Del Toro Iniesta, J. C.; López, A.; Fineschi, S.; Capobianco, G.; Georges, M.; López, M.; Boer, G.; Manolis, I.
Referencia bibliográfica

Solar Physics and Space Weather Instrumentation IV. Edited by Fineschi, Silvano; Fennelly, Judy. Proceedings of the SPIE, Volume 8148, pp. 814810-814810-12 (2011).

Fecha de publicación:
9
2011
Número de autores
15
Número de autores del IAC
1
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
Liquid-crystal variable retarders (LCVRs) are an emergent technology for space-based polarimeters, following its success as polarization modulators in ground-based polarimeters and ellipsometers. Wide-field double nematic LCVRs address the high angular sensitivity of nematic LCVRs at some voltage regimes. We present a work in which wide-field LCVRs were designed and built, which are suitable for wide-field-of-view instruments such as polarimetric coronagraphs. A detailed model of their angular acceptance was made, and we validated this technology for space environmental conditions, including a campaign studying the effects of gamma, proton irradiation, vibration and shock, thermo-vacuum and ultraviolet radiation.