A spectropolarimeter for studying solar magnetic fields

A spectropolarimeter based on a ferroelectric liquid-crystal modulator is described. An optical system with spatial modulation of the positions of the components of Zeeman splitting is a specific feature of this instrument. In comparison to the familiar instruments, the developed spectropolarimeter utilizes the light flux more efficiently and contains only one photodetector array. An operating spectropolarimeter developed at the Sayan Solar Observatory is considered as an example. Comparative estimates of noises in different operating modes are presented.