POLARIX: a small mission of x-ray polarimetry

Enrico Costa; Ronaldo Bellazzini; Paolo Soffitta; Fabio Muleri; Marco Feroci; Massimo Frutti; Marcello Mastropietro; Luigi Pacciani; Alda Rubini; Ennio Morelli; Luca Baldini; Francesco Bitti; Alessandro Brez; Francesco Cavalca; Luca Latronico; Marco Maria Massai; Nicola Omodei; Michele Pinchera; Carmelo Sgró; Gloria Spandre; Giorgio Matt; Giuseppe Cesare Perola; Guido Chincarini; Oberto Citterio; Gianpiero Tagliaferri; Giovanni Pareschi; Vincenzo Cotroneo

doi:10.1117/12.672951

13 June 2006 POLARIX: a small mission of x-ray polarimetry

Enrico Costa, Ronaldo Bellazzini, Paolo Soffitta, Fabio Muleri, Marco Feroci, Massimo Frutti, Marcello Mastropietro, Luigi Pacciani, Alda Rubini, Ennio Morelli, Luca Baldini, Francesco Bitti, Alessandro Brez, Francesco Cavalca, Luca Latronico, Marco Maria Massai, Nicola Omodei, Michele Pinchera, Carmelo Sgró, Gloria Spandre, Giorgio Matt, Giuseppe Cesare Perola, Guido Chincarini, Oberto Citterio, Gianpiero Tagliaferri, Giovanni Pareschi, Vincenzo Cotroneo

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6266, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation II: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 62660R (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672951
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2006, Orlando, Florida , United States

Abstract

X-Ray Polarimetry can be now performed by using a Micro Pattern Gas Chamber in the focus of a telescope. It requires large area optics for most important scientific targets. But since the technique is additive a dedicated mission with a cluster of small telescopes can perform many important measurements and bridge the 40 year gap between OSO-8 data and future big telescopes such as XEUS. POLARIX has been conceived as such a pathfinder. It is a Small Satellite based on the optics of JET-X. Two telescopes are available in flight configuration and three more can be easily produced starting from the available superpolished mandrels. We show the capabilities of such a cluster of telescopes each equipped with a focal plane photoelectric polarimeter and discuss a few alternative solutions.

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Enrico Costa, Ronaldo Bellazzini, Paolo Soffitta, Fabio Muleri, Marco Feroci, Massimo Frutti, Marcello Mastropietro, Luigi Pacciani, Alda Rubini, Ennio Morelli, Luca Baldini, Francesco Bitti, Alessandro Brez, Francesco Cavalca, Luca Latronico, Marco Maria Massai, Nicola Omodei, Michele Pinchera, Carmelo Sgró, Gloria Spandre, Giorgio Matt, Giuseppe Cesare Perola, Guido Chincarini, Oberto Citterio, Gianpiero Tagliaferri, Giovanni Pareschi, and Vincenzo Cotroneo "POLARIX: a small mission of x-ray polarimetry", Proc. SPIE 6266, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation II: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 62660R (13 June 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.672951

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