Bibcode
Uribe-Patarroyo, N.; Alvarez-Herrero, A.; López Ariste, A.; Asensio-Ramos, A.; Belenguer, T.; Manso-Sainz, R.; Lemen, C.; Gelly, B.
Bibliographical reference
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 526, id.A56
Advertised on:
2
2011
Journal
Citations
13
Refereed citations
12
Description
Context. The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of the photon is a property
of light from astronomical objects that has not yet been measured. We
propose a method of measuring the OAM spectrum of light from an extended
natural source, the Sun. Relating the OAM spectrum of different solar
areas to its structures could lead to a novel remote sensing technique.
Aims: We present a method for measuring the OAM spectrum of solar
photons. Methods: The THEMIS (Télescope
Héliographique pour l'Étude du Magnetisme et les
Instabilités Solaires is a 0.9 m solar telescope property of the
French CNRS-INSU at the Spanish Observatorio del Teide.) telescope is
being used with a novel phase-diversity technique. A spatial light
modulator is placed on one pupil image, and an ad-hoc optical setup
allows the measurement of two simultaneous phase-diverse images in the
same CCD, with equal optical paths. Results: Preliminary results
show that very good seeing is mandatory for this kind of observation.
The method works in the laboratory, and good seeing conditions in the
2010 campaign are being awaited.
Related projects
Magnetism, Polarization and Radiative Transfer in Astrophysics
Magnetic fields pervade all astrophysical plasmas and govern most of the variability in the Universe at intermediate time scales. They are present in stars across the whole Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, in galaxies, and even perhaps in the intergalactic medium. Polarized light provides the most reliable source of information at our disposal for the
Tanausú del
Pino Alemán