Stokes polarimeter with an image slicer

The optical layout and performance characteristics of a device for measuring the four Stokes parameters are reported, and the principle of its operation is described. The device is designed for use in the NES echelle spectrograph mounted in the Nasmyth-2 focus of the 6-meter telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Tests of the device operating on the telescope showed the gain in throughput to be a factor of 2.7 and 6 in the red (5000–7000 Å Å) and blue (3500–4700 Å Å) parts of the spectrum, respectively, compared to an analyzer based on Fresnel rhombi.