Related papers: X-Ray Polarimetry
Was the Milky Way galaxy a low-luminosity active galactic nucleus (AGN) in the past? Can we find traces of remnant structures supporting this idea? What is the three-dimensional arrangement of matter around our central supermassive black…
X-rays are particularly suited to probe the physics of extreme objects. However, despite the enormous improvements of X-ray Astronomy in imaging, spectroscopy and timing, polarimetry remains largely unexplored. We propose the photoelectric…
We describe the current status of the design and development of a Thomson X-ray polarimeter suitable for a small satellite mission. Currently we are considering two detector geometries, one using rectangular detectors placed on four sides…
Compton backscattering polarimetry provides a fast and accurate method to measure the polarization of an electron beam in a storage ring. Since the method is non-destructive, the polarization of the electron beam can be monitored during…
We demonstrate the feasibility of obtaining accurate pair distribution functions of thin amorphous films down to 80 nm, using modern laboratory-based x-ray sources. The pair distribution functions are obtained using a single diffraction…
Total reflection x-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy has seen a remarkable progress over the past years. Numerous applications in basic and applied sciences prove its importance. The large spectral background which is a major detrimental…
We have considered all blazars observed in the X-ray band and for which the slope of the X-ray spectrum is available. We have collected 421 spectra of 268 blazars, including 12 archival unpublished ASCA spectra of 7 blazars whose analysisis…
X-ray polarimetric missions planned for this decade will significantly enhance our knowledge of compact accreting sources. Observations of the X-ray polarization signal from active galactic nuclei (AGNs) or X-ray binary systems (XRBs) will…
Measurement of gamma-ray polarization can provide valuable insight in different areas of physics. A possible application is in Positron Emission Tomography, where annihilation quanta with orthogonal polarizations are emitted. Since…
The methods to measure the polarization of the x-rays from highly charged heavy ions with a significantly higher accuracy than the existing technology is needed to explore relativistic and quantum electrodynamics (QED) effects including the…
X-ray diffraction was demonstrated from shock-compressed polycrystalline metal on nanosecond time scales. Laser ablation was used to induce shock waves in polycrystalline foils of Be, 25 to 125 microns thick. A second laser pulse was used…
Recent multifrequency polarimetric observations of the eponymous blazar BL Lac reveal an extremely large degree of polarization in the optical band (average of $25\%$, reaching $45\%$), together with a small ($\lesssim 7\%$) degree of…
The Gamma-RAy Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE) is a concept for an astronomical hard X-ray Compton polarimeter operating in the 50 - 500 keV energy band. The instrument has been optimized for wide-field polarization measurements of transient…
Blurred reflection features are commonly observed in the X-ray spectra of accreting black holes. In the presence of high-quality data and with the correct astrophysical model, X-ray reflection spectroscopy is a powerful tool to probe the…
Compton backscattering polarimetry provides a fast measurement of the polarization of an electron beam in a storage ring. Since the method is non-destructive, the polarization of the electrons can be monitored during internal target…
X-ray polarimetry of accreting compact objects has revealed fast time variations in the polarization angle (PA), suggesting that the geometry and/or optical depth of the Comptonization region is changing rapidly. This prompts investigations…
One of the major goals of research for laser-plasma accelerators is the realization of compact sources of femtosecond X-rays. In particular, using the modest electron energies obtained with existing laser systems, Compton scattering a…
The imaging problem of a specular reflector is revisited. Retaining terms through second order in the reflector surface expansion, we derive the form of the aberration-limiting aperture for arbitrary magnification assuming no bandwidth…
This paper reviews the development status of GRAPE (the Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment), a hard X-ray Compton Polarimeter. The purpose of GRAPE is to measure the polarization of hard X-rays in the 50-300 keV energy range. We are…
The synchrotron radiation is commonly known to be completely linearly polarized when observed in the orbital plane of the synchrotron motion. Under actual experimental conditions, however, the degree of polarization of the synchrotron…