Design and tests of the hard X-ray polarimeter X-Calibur
Abstract
X-ray polarimetry will give qualitatively new information about high-energy astrophysical sources. We designed, built and tested a hard X-ray polarimeter X-Calibur to be used in the focal plane of the InFOCμS grazing incidence hard X-ray telescope. X-Calibur combines a low-Z Compton scatterer with a CZT detector assembly to measure the polarization of 10-80 keV X-rays making use of the fact that polarized photons Compton scatter preferentially perpendicular to the electric field orientation. X-Calibur achieves a high detection efficiency of order unity.
- Publication:
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Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A
- Pub Date:
- November 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.nima.2011.12.111
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1109.6668
- Bibcode:
- 2012NIMPA.692..283B
- Keywords:
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- Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 5 figures, conference proceedings: SPIE 2011 (San Diego)