X-Ray Polarimetry: Historical Remarks and Other Considerations

X-ray and Gamma-ray Polarimetry

Opening a New Window to Fundamental Physics and Astrophysics: X-ray Polarimetry

An extensive theoretical literature predicts that X-ray Polarimetry can directly determine relevant physical and geometrical parameters of astrophysical sources, and discriminate between models further than allowed by spectral and timing data only. X-ray Polarimetry can also provide tests of Fundamental Physics. A high sensitivity polarimeter in the focal plane of a New Generation X-ray telesco...

High-Energy Polarization: Scientific Potential and Model Predictions

Understanding magnetic field strength and morphology is very important for studying astrophysical jets. Polarization signatures have been a standard way to probe the jet magnetic field. Radio and optical polarization monitoring programs have been very successful in studying the spaceand time-dependent jet polarization behaviors. A new era is now arriving with high-energy polarimetry. X-ray and ...

X-ray polarimetry on-board HXMT

The development of micropixel gas detectors, capable to image tracks produced in a gas by photoelectrons, makes possible to perform polarimetry of X-ray celestial sources in the focus of grazing incidence X-ray telescopes. HXMT is a mission by the Chinese Space Agency aimed to survey the Hard X-ray Sky with Phoswich detectors, by exploitation of the direct demodulation technique. Since a fracti...

ar X iv : a st ro - p h / 03 05 30 9 v 1 1 6 M ay 2 00 3 XMM - Newton Observations of Two BAL QSOs : Q 1246 - 057 and SBS

We report on the results of XMM-Newton observations of two Broad Absorption Line Quasars (BAL QSOs), Q1246-057 and SBS 1542+541. Unprecedented sensitivity of XMM allows spectral analysis of these X-ray weak sources. The X-ray spectral data of these sources can be fitted by a power-law with αX=1.0-1.2 and either a partially covering absorber or an ionized absorber model. Rest frame UV spectrosco...