Large Interstellar Polarisation Survey. LIPS I: FORS2 spectropolarimetry in the Southern Hemisphere

TL;DR

This study presents spectropolarimetric observations of interstellar dust in the Southern Hemisphere, providing a new catalogue of polarization spectra and analyzing dust properties through Serkowski-curve parameters.

Contribution

First large spectropolarimetric survey in the Southern Hemisphere offering detailed polarization data and analysis of interstellar dust properties.

Findings

Serkowski-curve parameters are correlated but differ from previous studies.

Spectropolarimetry reveals detailed dust grain properties.

Catalogue of 127 polarization spectra for 101 targets.

Abstract

Polarimetric studies of light transmitted through interstellar clouds may give constraints on the properties of the interstellar dust grains. Traditionally, broadband linear polarisation (BBLP) measurements have been considered an important diagnostic tool for the study of the interstellar dust, while comparatively less attention has been paid to spectropolarimetric measurements. However, spectropolarimetry may offer stronger constraints than BBLP, for example by revealing narrowband features, and by allowing us to distinguish the contribution of dust from the contribution of interstellar gas. Therefore, we have decided to carry out a Large Interstellar Polarisation Survey (LIPS) using spectropolarimetric facilities in both hemispheres. Here we present the results obtained in the Southern Hemisphere with the FORS2 instrument of the ESO Very Large Telescope. Our spectra cover the wavelength range 380--950\,nm at a spectral resolving power of about 880. We have produced a publicly available catalogue of 127 linear polarisation spectra of 101 targets. We also provide the Serkowski-curve parameters, as well as the wavelength gradient of the polarisation position angle for the interstellar polarisation along 76 different lines of sight. In agreement with previous literature, we found that the best-fit parameters of the Serkowski-curve are not independent of each other. However, the relationships that we obtained are not always consistent with what was found in previous studies.