A small mission featuring an imaging x-ray polarimeter with high sensitivity

Martin C. Weisskopf; Luca Baldini; Ronaldo Bellazini; Alessandro Brez; Enrico Costa; Richard Dissly; Ronald F. Elsner; Sergio Fabiani; Giorgio Matt; Massimo Minuti; Fabio Muleri; Steve O'Dell; Michele Pinchera; Brian Ramsey; Alda Rubini; Carmelo Sgro'; Paolo Soffitta; Gloria Spandre

doi:10.1117/12.2024473

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26 September 2013 A small mission featuring an imaging x-ray polarimeter with high sensitivity

Martin C. Weisskopf, Luca Baldini, Ronaldo Bellazini, Alessandro Brez, Enrico Costa, Richard Dissly, Ronald F. Elsner, Sergio Fabiani, Giorgio Matt, Massimo Minuti, Fabio Muleri, Steve O'Dell, Michele Pinchera, Brian Ramsey, Alda Rubini, Carmelo Sgro', Paolo Soffitta, Gloria Spandre

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Proceedings Volume 8859, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XVIII; 885908 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2024473
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2013, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

We show that meaningful, highly sensitive x-ray polarimetry with imaging capability is possible with a small mission tailored to the NASA Explorer program. Such a mission—derived from the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) proposed to a previous NASA call—takes advantage of progress in light-weight x-ray optics and in gas pixel detectors to achieve sensitive time-resolved, spectrometric, imaging polarimetry. We outline the main characteristics and requirements of this mission and provide a realistic assessment of its scientific utility for modeling point-like and extended x-ray sources and for studying physical processes (including questions of fundamental physics).

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Martin C. Weisskopf, Luca Baldini, Ronaldo Bellazini, Alessandro Brez, Enrico Costa, Richard Dissly, Ronald F. Elsner, Sergio Fabiani, Giorgio Matt, Massimo Minuti, Fabio Muleri, Steve O'Dell, Michele Pinchera, Brian Ramsey, Alda Rubini, Carmelo Sgro', Paolo Soffitta, and Gloria Spandre "A small mission featuring an imaging x-ray polarimeter with high sensitivity", Proc. SPIE 8859, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XVIII, 885908 (26 September 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2024473

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