Related papers: In-Orbit Instrument Performance Study and Calibrat…
We describe the design and expected performance of Clover, a new instrument designed to measure the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background. The proposed instrument will comprise three independent telescopes operating at 90,…
COMPASS is an on-axis 2.6 meter telescope coupled to a correlation polarimeter. The entire instrument was built specifically for CMB polarization studies. Careful attention was given to receiver and optics design, stability of the pointing…
XL-Calibur is a balloon-borne Compton polarimeter for X-rays in the $\sim$15-80 keV range. Using an X-ray mirror with a 12 m focal length for collecting photons onto a beryllium scattering rod surrounded by CZT detectors, a…
The maturity of current detectors based on technologies that range from solid state to gases renewed the interest for X-ray polarimetry, raising the enthusiasm of a wide scientific community to improve the performance of polarimeters as…
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:…
X-ray polarimetry has the potential to make key-contributions to our understanding of galactic compact objects like binary black hole systems and neutron stars, and extragalactic objects like active galactic nuclei, blazars, and Gamma Ray…
In recent years, a number of purpose-built scintillator-based polarimeters have studied bright astronomical sources for the first time in the hard X-ray band (tens to hundreds of keV). The addition of polarimetry can help data…
The scientific potential of X-ray polarimetry has long been recognized, but the challenges in measuring polarization have left it largely unexplored, particularly in the hard X-ray regime. While tremendous advancement has been made in soft…
The Planck satellite experiment, which was launched the 14th of may 2009, will give an accurate measurement of the anisotropies of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) in temperature and polarization. This measurement is polluted by the…
As the sensitivity of CMB telescopes increases, the need for precise calibration becomes critical. Started in 2022, the COSMOCal project aims to place an artificial polarized source in geostationary orbit, which will serve as a reference…
In this chapter we present a brief summary of methods, instruments and calibration techniques used in modern astronomical polarimetry in the optical wavelengths. We describe the properties of various polarization devices and detectors used…
Generation of particular polarization states of light, encoding information in polarization degree of freedom, and efficient measurement of unknown polarization are the key tasks in optical metrology, optical communications,…
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…
X-ray polarization measurement of cosmic sources provides two unique parameters namely degree and angle of polarization which can probe the emission mechanism and geometry at close vicinity of the compact objects. Specifically, the hard…
The backscattering of laser radiation by a relativistic electron beam is a widely used method for measuring the spin polarization of electrons. We consider again the properties of the scattering process paying special attention to recoil…
The space-based CUbesat Solar Polarimeter (CUSP) mission aims to measure the linear polarization of solar flares in the hard X-ray band by means of a Compton scattering polarimeter. CUSP will allow to study the magnetic reconnection and…
PoGOLite is a hard X-ray polarimeter operating in the 25-100 keV energy band. The instrument design is optimised for the observation of compact astrophysical sources. Observations are conducted from a stabilised stratospheric balloon…
Synchrotron radiation facilities provide highly polarized X-ray beams across a wide energy range. However, the exact type and degree of polarization varies according to the beamline and experimental setup. To accurately determine the angle…
The E and B Experiment (EBEX) is a balloon-borne polarimeter designed to measure the polarization of the cosmic microwave background radiation and to characterize the polarization of galactic dust. EBEX was launched December 29, 2012 and…
We present a concept for an imaging gamma-ray polarimeter operating from ~50 MeV to ~1 GeV. Such an instrument would be valuable for the study of high-energy pulsars, active galactic nuclei, supernova remnants, and gamma-ray bursts. The…