Dr. Ken Gayley Profile

Dr. Ken Gayley

at Univ of Iowa

SPIE Involvement:

Author

Publications (2)

Proceedings Article | 31 August 2022 Presentation + Paper

The Polstar high resolution spectropolarimetry MIDEX mission

Paul Scowen, Richard Ignace, Ken Gayley, Gopal Vasudevan, Robert Woodruff, Coralie Neiner, Scott Richardson, Alison Nordt, Tony Hull, Shouleh Nikzad, Charles Shapiro

Proceedings Volume 12181, 1218106 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630103

KEYWORDS: Stars, Polarization, Polarimetry, Ultraviolet radiation, Staring arrays, Calibration, Mirrors, Spectroscopy, Spectral resolution, Modulators

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Proceedings Article | 20 August 2021 Presentation + Paper

The Polstar High Resolution Spectropolarimetry MIDEX Mission

Paul Scowen, Ken Gayley, Coralie Neiner, Gopal Vasudevan, Robert Woodruff, Richard Ignace, Roberto Casini, Tony Hull, Alison Nordt, H. Philip Stahl

Proceedings Volume 11819, 1181908 (2021) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2594267

KEYWORDS: Polarization, Stars, Mirrors, Spectral resolution, Polarimetry, Prisms, Calibration, Wave plates, Ultraviolet radiation, Staring arrays

Read Abstract +

The Polstar mission will provide for a space-borne 60cm telescope operating at UV wavelengths with spectropolarimetric capability capturing all four Stokes parameters (intensity, two linear polarization components, and circular polarization). Polstar’s capabilities are designed to meet its goal of determining how circumstellar gas flows alter massive stars' evolution, and finding the consequences for the stellar remnant population and the stirring and enrichment of the interstellar medium, by addressing four key science objectives. In addition, Polstar will determine drivers for the alignment of the smallest interstellar grains, and probe the dust, magnetic fields, and environments in the hot diffuse interstellar medium, including for the first time a direct measurement of the polarized and energized properties of intergalactic dust. Polstar will also characterize processes that lead to the assembly of exoplanetary systems and that affect exoplanetary atmospheres and habitability. Science driven design requirements include: access to ultraviolet bands: where hot massive stars are brightest and circumstellar opacity is highest; high spectral resolution: accessing diagnostics of circumstellar gas flows and stellar composition in the far-UV at 122-200nm, including the NV, SiIV, and CIV resonance doublets and other transitions such as NIV, AlIII, HeII, and CIII; polarimetry: accessing diagnostics of circumstellar magnetic field shape and strength when combined with high FUV spectral resolution and diagnostics of stellar rotation and distribution of circumstellar gas when combined with low near-UV spectral resolution; sufficient signal-to-noise ratios: ~103 for spectropolarimetric precisions of 0.1% per exposure; ~102 for detailed spectroscopic studies; ~10 for exploring dimmer sources; and cadence: ranging from 1-10 minutes for most wind variability studies, to hours for sampling rotational phase, to days or weeks for sampling orbital phase. The ISM and exoplanet science program will be enabled by these capabilities driven by the massive star science.

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