DIPol-UF: simultaneous three-color ($BVR$) polarimeter with EM CCDs

TL;DR

DIPol-UF is a new three-color polarimeter using EM CCDs, enabling high-precision, simultaneous polarimetric measurements in BVR bands for both bright and faint astronomical sources, with remote operation capabilities.

Contribution

The paper introduces DIPol-UF, a novel three-color polarimeter with high efficiency, stability, and remote control, suitable for a wide range of target brightness levels.

Findings

Achieved polarimetric precision of 10^{-5} in observations.

Successfully observed bright stars and faint X-ray binaries.

Demonstrated instrument's versatility and stability.

Abstract

We describe a new instrument capable of high precision ($10^{-5}$) polarimetric observations simultaneously in three passbands ($BVR$). The instrument utilizes electron-multiplied EM CCD cameras for high efficiency and fast image readout. The key features of DIPol-UF are: (i) optical design with high throughput and inherent stability; (ii) great versatility which makes the instrument optimally suitable for observations of bright and faint targets; (iii) control system which allows using the polarimeter remotely. Examples are given of the first results obtained from high signal-to-noise observations of bright nearby stars and of fainter sources such as X-ray binaries in their quiescent states