Journal article
XIPE: the X-ray imaging polarimetry explorer
Experimental astronomy, Vol.36(3), pp.523-567
08/24/2013
DOI: 10.1007/s10686-013-9344-3
Abstract
X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017. The proposal was, unfortunately, not selected. To be compliant with this schedule, we designed the payload mostly with existing items. The XIPE proposal takes advantage of the completed phase A of POLARIX for an ASI small mission program that was cancelled, but is different in many aspects: the detectors, the presence of a solar flare polarimeter and photometer and the use of a light platform derived by a mass production for a cluster of satellites. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus. Two additional GPDs filled with a 3-bar Ar-DME mixture always face the Sun to detect polarization from solar flares. The Minimum Detectable Polarization of a 1 mCrab source reaches 14 % in the 2–10 keV band in 10
5
s for pointed observations, and 0.6 % for an X10 class solar flare in the 15–35 keV energy band. The imaging capability is 24 arcsec Half Energy Width (HEW) in a Field of View of 14.7 arcmin × 14.7 arcmin. The spectral resolution is 20 % at 6 keV and the time resolution is 8
μ
s. The imaging capabilities of the JET-X optics and of the GPD have been demonstrated by a recent calibration campaign at PANTER X-ray test facility of the Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE, Germany). XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil). The data policy is organized with a Core Program that comprises three months of Science Verification Phase and 25 % of net observing time in the following 2 years. A competitive Guest Observer program covers the remaining 75 % of the net observing time.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- XIPE: the X-ray imaging polarimetry explorer
- Creators
- Paolo Soffitta - INAFXavier Barcons - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasRonaldo Bellazzini - INFN-PisaJoão Braga - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas EspaciaisEnrico Costa - INAFGeorge W Fraser - University of LeicesterSzymon Gburek - Polish Academy of SciencesJuhani Huovelin - University of HelsinkiGiorgio Matt - Roma Tre UniversityMark Pearce - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyJuri Poutanen - University of OuluVictor Reglero - Universitat de ValènciaAndrea Santangelo - University of TübingenRashid A Sunyaev - Max Planck SocietyGianpiero Tagliaferri - INAFMartin Weisskopf - Marshall Space Flight CenterRoberto Aloisio - INAFElena Amato - INAFPrimo Attiná - Alenia AeronauticaMagnus Axelsson - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyLuca Baldini - University of PisaStefano Basso - INAFStefano Bianchi - Roma Tre UniversityPasquale Blasi - INAFJohan Bregeon - INFN-PisaAlessandro Brez - INFN-PisaNiccoló Bucciantini - INAFLuciano Burderi - University of CagliariVadim Burwitz - Max Planck SocietyPiergiorgio Casella - INAFEugene Churazov - Max Planck SocietyMarta Civitani - INAFStefano Covino - INAFRui Miguel Curado da Silva - Departimento de Física, Coimbra Universidad PortugalGiancarlo Cusumano - INAFMauro Dadina - INAFFlavio D’Amico - INPE Div de AstrofsicaAlessandra De Rosa - IAPS/INAFSergio Di Cosimo - IAPS/INAFGiuseppe Di Persio - IAPS/INAFTiziana Di Salvo - University of PalermoMichal Dovciak - Czech Academy of SciencesRonald Elsner - Marshall Space Flight CenterChris J Eyles - University of BirminghamAndrew C Fabian - University of CambridgeSergio Fabiani - INAFHua Feng - Tsinghua UniversitySalvatore Giarrusso - INAFRené W Goosmann - Observatoire Astronomique de StrasbourgPaola Grandi - INAFNicolas Grosso - Observatoire Astronomique de StrasbourgGianluca Israel - INAFMiranda Jackson - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyPhilip Kaaret - University of IowaVladimir Karas - Czech Academy of SciencesMichael Kuss - INFN-PisaDong Lai - Cornell UniversityGiovanni La Rosa - INAF/IASF-PalermoJosefin Larsson - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyStefan Larsson - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyLuca Latronico - INFN-PisaAntonio Maggio - INAFJorge Maia - Departimento de Física, Coimbra Universidad PortugalFrédéric Marin - Observatoire Astronomique de StrasbourgMarco Maria Massai - University of PisaTeresa Mineo - INAFMassimo Minuti - INFN-PisaElena Moretti - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyFabio Muleri - INAFStephen L O’Dell - Marshall Space Flight CenterGiovanni Pareschi - INAFGiovanni Peres - University of PalermoMelissa Pesce - INFN-PisaPierre-Olivier Petrucci - Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (CNRST)Michele Pinchera - INFN-PisaDelphine Porquet - Observatoire Astronomique de StrasbourgBrian Ramsey - Marshall Space Flight CenterNanda Rea - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasFabio Reale - University of PalermoJuana Maria Rodrigo - Universitat de ValènciaAgata Różańska - Polish Academy of SciencesAlda Rubini - INAFPawel Rudawy - University of WrocławFelix Ryde - KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyMarco Salvati - INAFValdivino Alexandre de Santiago - INPE Div de AstrofsicaSergey Sazonov - Russian Academy of SciencesCarmelo Sgró - INFN-PisaEric Silver - Harvard UniversityGloria Spandre - INFN-PisaDaniele Spiga - INAFLuigi Stella - INAFToru Tamagawa - RIKENFrancesco Tamborra - Roma Tre UniversityFabrizio Tavecchio - INAFTeresa Teixeira Dias - Departimento de Física, Coimbra Universidad PortugalMatthew van Adelsberg - Georgia Institute of TechnologyKinwah Wu - University College LondonSilvia Zane - University College London
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Experimental astronomy, Vol.36(3), pp.523-567
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10686-013-9344-3
- ISSN
- 0922-6435
- eISSN
- 1572-9508
- Publisher
- Springer Netherlands
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 08/24/2013
- Academic Unit
- Physics and Astronomy
- Record Identifier
- 9984199778802771
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