# Innovative static spectropolarimeter concept for wide spectral ranges: tolerancing study

**Authors:** Martin Pertenais, Coralie Neiner, Laurent Parès, Pascal Petit  
**arXiv:** [1509.00627](https://arxiv.org/abs/1509.00627)  
**Date:** 2015-09-02  
**Summary page:** https://www.summarizepaper.com/en/paper/1509.00627v1/

## Key points

- Development of an efficient and robust polarimeter for wide spectral ranges and space applications is crucial
- Researchers in the UVMag consortium are exploring an innovative concept of a polarimeter that is simple, effective, and can operate over a wide spectral range
- The idea is based on the use of polarization scramblers to create a spatial modulation of polarization
- Variation in thickness of birefringent material generates intensity modulation of light related to entrance polarization state, enabling measurement of full Stokes vector over entire spectrum with single-shot measurement without any moving parts
- Detailed tolerancing study on the optical bench using this spectropolarimeter after introducing its concept and optical design has been conducted
- Proposed static spectropolarimeter concept offers several advantages over traditional methods including simplicity, efficiency, and robustness across wide spectral ranges suitable for space applications like Arago mission proposed to ESA.

## Summary

The development of an efficient and robust polarimeter for wide spectral ranges and space applications is a crucial issue in many projects. As part of the UVMag consortium, which aims to develop UV facilities in space, researchers are exploring an innovative concept of a polarimeter that is simple, effective, and can operate over a wide spectral range. The idea is based on the use of polarization scramblers to create a spatial modulation of polarization. By varying the thickness of the birefringent material crossed by light along the height of the wedges of the scramblers, retardance also varies continuously. This variation generates an intensity modulation of light related to entrance polarization state. Analyzing this modulation with a linear polarizer and dispersing light spectrally in the orthogonal spatial direction enables measurement of full Stokes vector over entire spectrum with single-shot measurement without any moving parts. This article presents a detailed tolerancing study on the optical bench using this spectropolarimeter after introducing its concept and optical design. The study investigates different error sources such as birefringence uncertainty or decenter of wedges' impact on performance. The proposed static spectropolarimeter concept offers several advantages over traditional methods including simplicity, efficiency, and robustness across wide spectral ranges suitable for space applications like Arago mission proposed to ESA. The research team comprised Martin Pertenais, Coralie Neiner, Laurent Parès, and Pascal Petit who conducted this study published in Proceeding SPIE Optics and Photonics in August 2015 consisting six pages with DOI: 10.1117/12.2186294.