Polar Star¶

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Overview¶

Polar Star is designed to facilitate the automation and control of experiments in scientific research, with a special focus on optical experiments.

Polar Star consists of a modular hardware platform and a Python library that work together to enable precise control, automation, and data analysis in optical laboratories. The hardware supports high-throughput experimentation and precise positioning of optical instruments, while the software provides tools for automation, data collection, and integration with various scientific research applications.

Polar Star: Platform for Optical Laboratory Automation and Research¶

Polar Star is a modular hardware platform created for automating optical experiments, providing researchers with control over spectrometers, sensors, and other lab equipment. It supports precise positioning and integration of various optical instruments, making it ideal for high-throughput spectroscopy, photonics, and related experiments.

Key Features¶

  • Precision Positioning: Integrates with CNC systems to allow for precise control of sample positioning.

  • Optical Experimentation: Compatible with multiple optical sensors and devices, such as spectrometers and light sources.

  • Modular Design: Easily integrates with a wide range of optical devices and equipment.

  • Automation Support: Enables automated, high-throughput experimental setups.

Getting Started with Polar Star¶

To use Polar Star, you can set up the equipment and connect it to the Python library for data collection and control.

Polar Star Python Library¶

The Polar Star Python library focuses on simplifying the automation of scientific experiments, including data collection and hardware control. While designed to integrate with the hardware platform, it can also be used independently for various scientific applications.

Features¶

  • Automated Data Collection: Simplifies gathering and processing data from different lab instruments.

  • Hardware Control: Provides interfaces to control lab equipment, including spectrometers and CNC machines.

  • Scalable and Modular: Supports multiple scientific disciplines beyond optical experiments.

Requirements¶

  • Python 3.8 or newer

  • Additional dependencies listed in pyproject.toml

Installation¶

You can install Polar Star via pip from PyPI:

$ pip install polarstar

Usage¶

Please see the tutorial for details.

Contributing¶

Contributions are very welcome. To learn more, see the Contributor Guide.

License¶

Distributed under the terms of the GPL 3.0 license, Polar Star is free and open source software.

Issues¶

If you encounter any problems, please file an issue along with a detailed description.

Credits¶

This project was generated from @cjolowicz’s Hypermodern Python Cookiecutter template.