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Abstract
Polarization observations using next-generation large telescopes can provide valuable insights into magnetic fields and the composition of jets in AGN, multi-messenger transients follow-up, interstellar dust and magnetic fields, circumstellar disk properties, and detection of ocean glint on exoplanets. One of the major objectives of these telescopes is to directly image and analyze Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars for signs of habitability. The polarization introduced/modified by the telescope and instrument optics, however, presents significant challenges in carrying out accurate polarimetry and high-contrast imaging. In this talk, I will discuss the development of end-to-end simulations of telescopes and instruments to model polarization effects and design calibration strategies. I will present polarization observation simulations for the high-contrast imaging instrument of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a precursor to NASA’s Habitable World Observatory in the 2040s. I will also discuss complete polarization aberrations simulations for next-generation ground-based giant segmented mirror telescopes (GSMTs) in the 2030s and their impact on polarimetry and high-contrast imaging. Finally, based on these end-to-end simulations, I will suggest the path forward for designing a polarimeter for one of the GSMTs, the Giant Magellan Telescope-Polarimeter.
Bio
I finished my integrated Masters+PhD in Astronomical Instrumentation from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, India. I worked as a research engineer at NAOC in Beijing, China, for a brief time. I was a WALOP instrument postdoc in IUCAA, India, for a year, and since 2021, I have been a postdoc at the University of Arizona Space Astrophysics Lab in Steward Observatory.