Performance characteristics of the advanced stokes polarimeter

Recently Zirin (1995) published a response to our paper of last year (Lites, Martínez Pillet, and Skumanich, 1994), in which we quantified some limitations of vector magnetometry by the use of a generic filter magnetograph. Zirin's Letter makes specific reference to the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter (ASP), and in so doing he makes incorrect statements regarding the performance characteristics of the ASP. The intent of this paper is to rectify those erroneous representations and to clarify several other issues raised by Zirin which might give the reader of his Letter an incorrect picture of the ASP.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.