ZIMPOL/CHEOPS

Image:Paranal Platform After Sunset (ESO).jpg

{{Distinguish|CHEOPS (spacecraft)}}

ZIMPOL/CHEOPS (Zurich Imaging Polarimeter) is a polarimetric imager being developed for the Very Large Telescope for the direct detection of extra-solar planets.{{cite journal | display-authors = 6 | author = Schmid, H. M. | author2 = Gisler, D. | author3 = Joos, F. | author4 = Povel, H. P. | author5 = Stenflo, J. O. | author6 = Feldt, M. | author7 = Lenzen, R. | author8 = Brandner, W. | author9 = Tinbergen, J. | author10 = Quirrenbach, A. | author11 = Stuik, R. | author12 = Gratton, R. | author13 = Turatto, M. | author14 = Neuhäuser, R. | title =ZIMPOL/CHEOPS: a Polarimetric Imager for the Direct Detection of Extra-solar Planets | journal =Astronomical Polarimetry: Current Status and Future Directions ASP Conference Series, Conference Proceedings | orig-year =15–19 March 2004 | location =Waikoloa, Hawai'i, USA | volume =343 | editor =A. Adamson | editor2 =C. Aspin | editor3 =C. J. Davis | editor4 =T. Fujiyoshi | page = 89 | date = 2005-12-01| bibcode=2005ASPC..343...89S}} The imager is operated by the European Southern Observatory on Cerro Paranal in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.{{cite web |title=ZIMPOL - The Zurich IMaging POLarimeter |url=http://www.mpia.de/CHEOPS/cheopsZIMPOL |access-date =2012-01-21}}{{dead link|date=July 2015}}

It is also the imaging polarimeter subsystem of the VLT-SPHERE instrument.[http://obswww.unige.ch/~wildif/publications/2014_9147-147_roelfsema.pdf The ZIMPOL high contrast imaging polarimeter for SPHERE: system test results]. (PDF) Ronald Roelfsema, Andreas Bazzon, Hans Martin Schmid, Johan Pragt, Daniel Gisler, Carsten Dominik, Andrea Baruffolo, Jean-Luc Beuzit, Anne Costille, Kjetil Dohlen, Mark Downing, Eddy Elswijk, Menno de Haan, Norbert Hubin, Markus Kasper, Christoph Keller, Jean-Louis Lizonf, David Mouillet, Alexey Pavlov, Pascal Puget, Bernardo Salasnich, Jean-Francois Sauvage, Francois Wildik. 2014.

The Zurich Imaging Polarimeter (ZIMPOL) provides diffraction limited classical imaging and differential polarimetric imaging (DPI) at 15 mas (milliarcsecond) resolution in the visible spectrum{{cite web |url=http://www.eso.org/observing/etc/doc/helpsphere.html#version |title=SPHERE Exposure Time Calculator – Instrument description |date=26 February 2015 |access-date=3 July 2015}} and is one of three scientific subsystem integrated into the VLT-SPHERE instrument used at VLT's Unit Telescope 3, Melipal.

CHEOPS is an acronym for CHaracterizing Exo-planets by Opto-infrared Polarimetry and Spectroscopy.{{cite web | title =CHaracterizing Extrasolar planets by Opto-infrared Polarimetry and Spectroscopy | url =http://www.mpia.de/CHEOPS/cheopsCheops.php | archive-url =http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20120123075150/http://www.mpia.de/CHEOPS/cheopsCheops.php | url-status =dead | archive-date =2012-01-23 | access-date =2012-01-21}}