The Stellar X-ray Polarimeter - A focal plane polarimeter for the Spectrum X-Gamma mission
Abstract
This paper describes an X-ray polarimeter that will be flown on the Spectrum X-Gamma mission. The instrument exploits three distinct physical processes to measure polarization: Bragg reflection from a graphite crystal, Thomson scattering from a metallic lithium target, and photoemission from a cesium iodide photocathode. These three methods allow polarization measurements over an energy band from 0.3 to 12 keV. The polarimeter will make possible sensitive measurements of several hundred known X-ray sources. X-ray polarization measurements will make it possible to constrain the geometry of gas flow in X-ray binaries, identify nonthermal emission in supernova remnants, test current models for X-ray emission in radio pulsars, determine the radiation mechanisms in active galactic nuclei, and search for inertial frame dragging (Lense-Thirring effect) around the putative black hole in Cygnus X-1.
- Publication:
-
Optical Engineering
- Pub Date:
- July 1990
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.55660
- Bibcode:
- 1990OptEn..29..773K
- Keywords:
-
- Focal Plane Devices;
- Polarimeters;
- Space Missions;
- Stellar Radiation;
- X Ray Astronomy;
- Black Holes (Astronomy);
- Bragg Angle;
- Cygnus Constellation;
- Galactic Nuclei;
- Photocathodes;
- Polarization (Waves);
- Pulsars;
- Supernova Remnants;
- Thomson Scattering;
- X Ray Binaries;
- X Ray Sources;
- Instrumentation and Photography