Wide area linear optical polarimeter control software

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Abstract
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.
Funding Information
  • National Research Foundation of South Africa under the National Equipment Programme
  • Stavros Niarchos Foundation under grant PASIPHAE
  • Infosys Foundation
  • Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas Synergy Grants Program through project MagMASim
  • Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas Synergy Grants Program through project POLAR
  • Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, India
  • European Commission (ERC-2022-STG - BOOTES – 101076343)
  • European Research Council (771282)
  • National Science Foundation (AST-2109127)
  • Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (1552 CIRCE)
  • Marie Curie Action of the European Union (101107047)
  • NASA Hubble Fellowship (HST-HF2-51566.001)
  • Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA (NAS5-26555)