Two-dimensional solar spectropolarimetry with the KIS/IAA Visible Imaging Polarimeter

Context. Spectropolarimetry at high spatial and spectral resolution is a basic tool to characterize the magnetic properties of the solar atmosphere. Aims. We introduce the KIS/IAA Visible Imaging Polarimeter (VIP), a new post-focus instrument that upgrades the TESOS spectrometer at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) into a full vector polarimeter. VIP is a collaboration between the Kiepenheuer Institut fur Sonnenphysik (KIS) and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA-CSIC). Methods. We describe the optical setup of VIP, the data acquisition procedure, and the calibration of the spectropolarimetric measurements. We show examples of data taken between 2005 and 2008 to illustrate the potential of the instrument. Results. VIP is capable of measuring the four Stokes profiles of spectral lines in the range from 420 to 700 nm with a spatial resolution better than 0.

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