Scientific Prospects for Hard X-ray Polarimetry
arXiv:1012.0321 · doi:10.1016/j.astropartphys.2010.12.001
Abstract
X-ray polarimetry promises to give qualitatively new information about high-energy sources. Examples of interesting source classes are binary black hole systems, rotation and accretion powered neutron stars, Microquasars, Active Galactic Nuclei and Gamma-Ray Bursts. Furthermore, X-ray polarimetry affords the possibility for testing fundamental physics, e.g. to observe signatures of light bending in the strong gravitational field of a black hole, to detect third order Quantum Electrodynamic effects in the magnetosphere of Magnetars, and to perform sensitive tests of Lorentz Invariance. In this paper we discuss scientific drivers of hard (>10 keV) X-ray polarimetry emphasizing how observations in the hard band can complement observations at lower energies (0.1 - 10 keV). Subsequently, we describe four different technical realizations of hard X-ray polarimeters suitable for small to medium sized space borne missions, and study their performance in the signal-dominated case based on Monte Carlo simulations. We end with confronting the instrument requirements for accomplishing the science goals with the capabilities of the four polarimeters.
Accepted for publication in Astroparticle Physics
References in corpus (20)
- X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
- A change in the optical polarization associated with a gamma-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279
- Discovery of luminous pulsed hard X-ray emission from anomalous X-ray pulsars 1RXS J1708-4009, 4U 0142+61 and 1E 2259+586 by INTEGRAL and RXTE
- Cosmic X-ray background and Earth albedo Spectra with Swift/BAT
- The First Swift BAT Gamma-Ray Burst Catalog
- Polarization of the Crab pulsar and nebula as observed by the Integral/IBIS telescope
- Polarisation studies of the prompt gamma-ray emission from GRB 041219a using the Spectrometer aboard INTEGRAL
- X-ray spectra from magnetar candidates. I. Monte Carlo simulations in the non-relativistic regime
- Magnetars as persistent hard X-ray sources: INTEGRAL discovery of a hard tail in SGR 1900+14
- Atmosphere Models of Magnetized Neutron Stars: QED Effects, Radiation Spectra, and Polarization Signals
- Thermal disc emission from a rotating black hole: X-ray polarization signatures
- Resonant Compton Upscattering in Anomalous X-ray Pulsars
- Detailed high-energy characteristics of AXP 4U 0142+61 - Multi-year observations with INTEGRAL, RXTE, XMM-Newton and ASCA
- Polarization signatures of strong gravity in AGN accretion discs
- X-Ray Polarization of Solar Flares Measured with Rhessi
- SGR 1806-20 about two years after the giant flare: Suzaku, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations
- Calibration of the Gamma-RAy Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE) at a Polarized Hard X-Ray Beam
- GRB Probes of the High-z Universe with EXIST
- Comparative study of different scattering geometries for the proposed Indian X-ray polarization measurement experiment using Geant4
- Constraining pulsar gap models with light-curve shapes of a simulated gamma-ray pulsar population
Cited by in corpus (37)
- Analyzing the Data from X-ray Polarimeters with Stokes Parameters
- The Masses and Spins of Neutron Stars and Stellar-Mass Black Holes
- Tests of General Relativity in the Strong Gravity Regime Based on X-Ray Spectropolarimetric Observations of Black Holes in X-Ray Binaries
- The Polarization Properties of Inverse Compton Emission and Implications for Blazar Observations with the GEMS X-Ray Polarimeter
- Probing Acceleration and Turbulence at Relativistic Shocks in Blazar Jets
- XL-Calibur -- a second-generation balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimetry mission
- X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)
- Polarization of K-shell dielectronic recombination satellite lines of Fe XIX-XXV and its application for diagnostics of anisotropies of hot plasmas
- Predicting the X-ray polarization of type-2 Seyfert galaxies
- Observations of a GX 301-2 Apastron Flare with the X-Calibur Hard X-Ray Polarimeter Supported by NICER, the Swift XRT and BAT, and Fermi GBM
- Strong higher-order resonant contributions to x-ray line polarization in hot plasmas
- Observation of polarised hard X-ray emission from the Crab by the PoGOLite Pathfinder
- Analysis of the Data from Compton X-ray Polarimeters which Measure the Azimuthal and Polar Scattering Angles
- Calibration and performance studies of the balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimeter PoGO+
- Optimising a balloon-borne polarimeter in the hard X-ray domain: from the PoGOLite Pathfinder to PoGO+
- The PoGO+ view on Crab off-pulse hard X-ray polarisation
- High-resolution Laboratory Measurements of K-shell X-ray Line Polarization and Excitation Cross Sections in Heliumlike S XV Ions
- Pitfalls of statistics-limited X-ray polarization analysis
- Hard X-ray polarimetry with Caliste, a high performance CdTe based imaging spectrometer
- Preflight performance studies of the PoGOLite hard X-ray polarimeter
- The gas pixel detector as a solar X-ray polarimeter and imager
- Characterization of scatterers for an active focal plane Compton polarimeter
- Local description of S-matrix in quantum field theory in curved spacetime using Riemann-normal coordinate
- The design and performance of the XL-Calibur anticoincidence shield
- Imaging Polarimeter for a Sub-MeV Gamma-Ray All-Sky Survey using an Electron-Tracking Compton Camera
- High energy photon polarimeter for astrophysics
- An Unfolding Method for X-ray Spectro-Polarimetry
- A Compton polarimeter using scintillators read out with MPPCs through Citiroc ASIC
- Sensitivity of stacked imaging detectors to hard X-ray polarization
- Interpretation of the cosmic ray positron and electron excesses with an annihilating-decaying dark matter scenario
- Design and tests of the hard X-ray polarimeter X-Calibur
- Monte-Carlo Applications for Partially Polarised Inverse External-Compton Scattering (MAPPIES) -- I. Description of the code and First Results
- Monte-Carlo Applications for Partially Polarized Inverse External-Compton Scattering (MAPPIES) II -- Application to the UV/Soft X-ray Excess in Blazar Spectra
- Systematic effects on a Compton polarimeter at the focus of an X-ray mirror
- Hard X-ray Polarimetry -- An overview of the method, science drivers and recent findings
- The Hard X-ray Polarimeter X-Calibur - Design and Tests
- Performance of the X-Calibur Hard X-Ray Polarimetry Mission during its 2018/19 Long-Duration Balloon Flight