Recent development in optical and IR polarimetry

Abstract

Polarimetry in recent years has matured and high precision measurements, from radio to UV wavelength, are possible in various modes: photo polarimetry, spectropolarimetry or imaging polarimetry. Within the country polarization studies are being carried out in different institutions. In the Physics Research Laboratory (PRL) a high precision optical polarimeter has been operational for the last ten years, and important new results have been obtained using this instrument. An IR polarimeter is expected to be operational soon. Some of the results based on optical polarimetry are discussed