In-orbit Operation and Performance of the CubeSat Soft X-ray Polarimeter PolarLight

Abstract

PolarLight is a compact soft X-ray polarimeter onboard a CubeSat, which was launched into a low-Earth orbit on October 29, 2018. In March 2019, PolarLight started full operation, and since then, regular observations with the Crab nebula, Sco X-1, and background regions have been conducted. Here we report the operation, calibration, and performance of PolarLight in the orbit. Based on these, we discuss how one can run a low-cost, shared CubeSat for space astronomy, and how CubeSats can play a role in modern space astronomy for technical demonstration, science observations, and student training.

arXiv commentaccepted for publication in Advances in Space Research

References in corpus (8)

• The MAXI Mission on the ISS: Science and Instruments for Monitoring All Sky X-Ray Images
• An efficient photoelectric X-ray Polarimeter for the study of Black Holes and Neutron Stars
• The enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission - eXTP
• XIPE: the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer
• Crab: the standard X-ray candle with all (modern) X-ray satellites
• Re-detection and a Possible Time Variation of Soft X-ray Polarisation from the Crab
• PolarLight: a CubeSat X-ray Polarimeter based on the Gas Pixel Detector
• Spectral Investigations of the nature of the Sco X-1 like sources

Cited by in corpus (6)

• X-ray polarimetry of the Crab nebula with PolarLight: polarization recovery after the glitch and a secular position angle variation
• X-ray Polarimetry of the accreting pulsar 1A~0535+262 in the supercritical state with PolarLight
• Modeling the in-orbit background of PolarLight
• Discrimination of background events in the PolarLight X-ray polarimeter
• A significant detection of X-ray Polarization in Sco X-1 with PolarLight and constraints on the corona geometry
• The HaloSat and PolarLight CubeSat Missions for X-ray Astrophysics