Modeling dielectric half-wave plates for cosmic microwave background polarimetry using a Mueller matrix formalism
- Resource Type
- Working Paper
- Authors
- Bryan, Sean A.; Montroy, Thomas E.; Ruhl, John E.
- Source
- Applied Optics, Vol. 49, Issue 32, pp. 6313-6323 (2010)
- Subject
- Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
- Language
We derive an analytic formula using the Mueller matrix formalism that parameterizes the nonidealities of a half-wave plate (HWP) made from dielectric antireflection-coated birefringent slabs. This model accounts for frequency-dependent effects at normal incidence, including effects driven by the reflections at dielectric boundaries. The model also may be used to guide the characterization of an instrument that uses a HWP. We discuss the coupling of a HWP to different source spectra, and the potential impact of that effect on foreground removal for the SPIDER cosmic microwave background experiment. We also describe a way to use this model in a mapmaking algorithm that fully corrects for HWP nonidealities.
Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in Applied Optics