X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)
Abstract
This paper describes the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR), a mission proposed to NASA's 2014 Small Explorer (SMEX) announcement of opportunity. PolSTAR measures the linear polarization of 3-50 keV (requirement; goal: 2.5-70 keV) X-rays probing the behavior of matter, radiation and the very fabric of spacetime under the extreme conditions close to the event horizons of black holes, as well as in and around magnetars and neutron stars. The PolSTAR design is based on the technology developed for the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) mission launched in June 2012. In particular, it uses the same X-ray optics, extendable telescope boom, optical bench, and CdZnTe detectors as NuSTAR. The mission has the sensitivity to measure ~1% linear polarization fractions for X-ray sources with fluxes down to ~5 mCrab. This paper describes the PolSTAR design as well as the science drivers and the potential science return.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1510.08358,
title = {X-Ray Polarimetry with the Polarization Spectroscopic Telescope Array (PolSTAR)},
author = {Henric S. Krawczynski and Daniel Stern and Fiona A. Harrison and Fabian F. Kislat and Anna Zajczyk and Matthias Beilicke and Janie Hoormann and Qingzhen Guo and Ryan Endsley and Adam R. Ingram and Hiromasa Miyasaka and Kristin K. Madsen and Kim M. Aaron and Rashied Aminia and Matthew G. Baring and Banafsheh Beheshtipour and Arash Bodaghee and Jeffrey Booth and Chester Borden and Markus Boettcher and Finn E. Christensen and Paolo S. Coppi and Ramanath Cowsik and Shane Davis and Jason Dexter and Chris Done and Luis A. Dominguez and Don Ellison and Robin J. English and Andrew C. Fabian and Abe Falcone and Jeffrey A. Favretto and Rodrigo Fernandez and Paolo Giommi and Brian W. Grefenstette and Erin Kara and Chung H. Lee and Maxim Lyutikov and Thomas Maccarone and Hironori Matsumoto and Jonathan McKinney and Tatehiro Mihara and Jon M. Miller and Ramesh Narayan and Lorenzo Natalucci and Feryal Oezel and Michael J. Pivovaroff and Steven Pravdo and Dimitrios Psaltis and Takashi Okajima and Kenji Toma and William W. Zhang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1510.08358},
year = {2016}
}
Comments
(Astroparticle Physics in press, 34 pages, 23 figures, 6 tables)