X-ray Polarization from Black Holes: GEMS Scientific White Paper
Abstract
We present here a summary of the scientific goals behind the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS) X-ray polarimetry mission's black hole (BH) observing program. The primary targets can be divided into two classes: stellar-mass galactic BHs in accreting binaries, and super-massive BHs in the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The stellar-mass BHs can in turn be divided into various X-ray spectral states: thermal-dominant (disk), hard (radio jet), and steep power-law (hot corona). These different spectral states are thought to be generated by different accretion geometries and emission mechanisms. X-ray polarization is an ideal tool for probing the geometry around these BHs and revealing the specific properties of the accreting gas.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1301.1957,
title = {X-ray Polarization from Black Holes: GEMS Scientific White Paper},
author = {Jeremy Schnittman and Lorella Angelini and Matthew Baring and Wayne Baumgartner and Kevin Black and Jessie Dotson and Pranab Ghosh and Alice Harding and Joanne Hill and Keith Jahoda and Phillip Kaaret and Tim Kallman and Henric Krawczynski and Julian Krolik and Dong Lai and Craig Markwardt and Herman Marshall and Jeffrey Martoff and Robin Morris and Takashi Okajima and Robert Petre and Juri Poutanen and Stephen Reynolds and Jeffrey Scargle and Peter Serlemitsos and Yang Soong and Tod Strohmayer and Jean Swank and Yuzuru Tawara and Toru Tamagawa},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1301.1957},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
A white paper by the GEMS science working group; 21 pages, 4 figures