Debris finder, PolCor-2
An instrument to detect debris around young stars

Content:

1. Introduction
2. Exoplanets
3. Stars dust disc
4. Albanova, research center in Stockholm
5. The instrument, PolCor-2
6. The mechanical box's surfaces
7. Coronagraph
8. Mirror set one
9. Filters
10. Lyot Stop
11. Servo motors
12. Polarizer
13. Parabolic and flat mirror set two
14. Lucky Imaging
15. The camera
16. The computer
17. Test of the instrument that has been done
18. Conclusion
19. End of demonstration
20. Follow up with links of information about coronagraphs

4: Albanova, research center in Stockholm

To make this article more interesting I have investigated what is being done at the University of Stockholm at Albanova in this research area. I myself studied, among other things, astrophysics there, one of my teachers was Professor Göran Olofsson, I still have some contact with him. It is also Göran who introduced me to the CCD technology in the mid 1990s.

Albanova, keeps the Stockholm University astronomers after moving from Saltsjöbaden to here in 2001.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/AlbaNova (Albanova, Wiki)

A phone call to him and a talk about what's going on led to a later visit. Göran is not only theorist but also do practical design and build some of the instruments needed for the research. At his side, Göran also have H.G. for software development  of control and measurement systems, designing electromechanical and mechanical systems. I had always only heard H.G., but now know that behind that letters is Hans-Gustav Florén.

One of the later instrument that is under development is a camera, among other things to be used to study this particular dust debris around other stars. Technology and theory together make it much more exciting. In addition, this camera operates in the very difficult visible wavelength range and the near-infrared range. We'll see how Göran and H.G. solved this. Let's take a closer look at how this instrument is designed and built.

I met Göran in his office in June 2008. Göran has plenty of work and is always stressed. I really appreciate that he has time to meet me. We walk off to the workshop where the camera is completed. Before Göran dare to open the sealed box containing the sensitive optical parts, we need to take on hair nets and gloves. Dust and greasy fingerprints is really nothing that belongs in the optical world.