Wide area linear optical polarimeter control software
Journal article, 2025
The WALOPControl software is designed to facilitate comprehensive control and operation of the Wide Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP) polarimeters, ensuring safe and concurrent management of various instrument components and functionalities. This software encompasses several critical requirements, including control of the filter wheel, calibration half-wave plate, calibration polarizer, guider positioning, focusers, and four concurrent charge-coupled device cameras. It also manages the host telescope and dome operations while logging operational parameters, user commands, and environmental conditions for troubleshooting and stability. It provides a user-friendly graphical user interface and secure access control, a notification system for errors, and a modular configuration for troubleshooting that are integral to the software's architecture. It is accessible over the internet with the backend developed using NodeJS and ExpressJS, featuring a RESTful API that interacts with a MongoDB database, facilitating real-time status updates and data logging. The frontend utilizes the React.JS framework, with Redux for state management and Material UI for the graphical components. The system also allows for automatic observations based on user-defined schedules. A continuous integration and continuous deployment pipeline ensures the software's reliability through automated testing and streamlined deployment. The WALOPControl software is a key component of the Polar-Areas Stellar Imaging in Polarimetry High Accuracy Experiment project, which aims to study the dust and magnetic field of the Milky Way by observing the polarization of starlight.
React
NodeJS
control
software
MongoDB
polarimetry
Author
J. A. Kypriotakis
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
University of Crete
Bhushan Joshi
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
D. Blinov
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
University of Crete
S. Kiehlmann
University of Crete
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
R. M. Anche
University of Arizona
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
I. Liodakis
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
M. Falalaki
University of Crete
T. Ghosh
National Institute of Science Education and Research
E. Gjerløw
University of Oslo
S. Maharana
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
South African Astronomical Observatory
N. Mandarakas
University of Crete
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
Georgia Virginia Panopoulou
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
Katerina Papadaki
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
University of Crete
V. Pavlidou
University of Crete
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
T. J. Pearson
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
V. Pelgrims
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
S. B. Potter
University of Johannesburg
South African Astronomical Observatory
Chaitanya Rajarshi
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
A. N. Ramaprakash
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
A. C.S. Readhead
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
R. Skalidis
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Konstantinos Tassis
University of Crete
Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas (FORTH)
Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems
2329-4124 (ISSN) 2329-4221 (eISSN)
Vol. 11 3 037001Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Cosmology
DOI
10.1117/1.JATIS.11.3.037001