Related papers: An X-ray polarimeter for hard X-ray optics
We describe a feasible implementation of a novel X-ray detector for highly energetic x-ray photons with a large solid angle coverage, optimal for the detection of Compton x-ray scattered photons. The device consists of a 20~cm-thick…
Axion dark matter differentiates the phase velocities of the circular-polarized photons. In this Letter, a scheme to measure the phase difference by using a linear optical cavity is proposed. If the scheme is applied to the Fabry-P\'erot…
A new gas detector prototype for the upgrade of the focal plane detector of the MAGNEX large-acceptance magnetic spectrometer has been developed and tested in view of the NUMEN project. It has been designed to operate at low gas pressure…
We report on the optimization of the hard X-ray polarimeter X-Calibur for a high-altitude balloon-flight in the focal plane of the InFOC{\mu}S X-ray telescope from Fort Sumner (NM) in Fall 2013. X-Calibur combines a low-Z scintillator slab…
We present an analysis of the spectral properties of the peculiar X-ray pulsar X Per based on INTEGRAL observations. We show that the source exhibits an unusually hard spectrum and is confidently detected by ISGRI up to more than 100 keV.…
Transition edge sensor microcalorimeters can measure x-ray and gamma-ray energies with very high energy resolution and high photon-collection efficiency. For this technology to reach its full potential in future x-ray observatories, each…
We discuss the methods used to compile a high signal-to-noise dataset representative of both the instrumental and cosmic background signal measured at high galactic latitude by the XMM-Newton EPIC cameras. The characteristics of the EPIC…
Polarimetry provides key physical information on the properties of interacting binary systems, sometimes difficult to obtain by any other type of observation. Indeed, radiation processes such as scattering by free electrons in the hot…
We describe the potential of GRIPS, a future MeV mission. The Gamma-Ray Imaging, Polarimetry and Spectroscopy ("GRIPS") concept combines a Compton and pair telescope, and will be a very sensitive polarimeter. GRIPS would perform a…
X-rays astrophysical sources have been almost exclusively characterized through imaging, spectroscopy and timing analysis. Nevertheless, more observational parameters are needed because some radiation mechanisms present in neutrons stars or…
A breakthrough in the sensitivity level of the hard X-/gamma-ray telescopes, which today are based on detectors that view the sky through (or not) coded masks, is expected when focusing optics will be available also in this energy range.…
The acceleration of polarized electrons, positrons, protons and ions in strong laser and plasma fields is a very attractive option to obtain polarized beams in the multi-MeV range. Recently, there has been substantial progress in the…
A simple X-ray imaging system using off-the-shelf electronics and simple reconstruction algorithms aiming a spatial resolution of 1.7 mm ($\sim 3\,\%$ of the detector length) is described in this work. For this, two 100 cm$^2$ Gas Electron…
The energy density of the Cosmic X-ray background (XRB) peaks around 30 keV (see Figure 1), an energy not yet probed by focussing imaging instruments. The first hard X-ray telescope due to fly on a space mission will be that on board…
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…
The study of magnetars is of particular relevance since these objects are the only laboratories where the physics in ultra-strong magnetic fields can be directly tested. Until now, spectroscopic and timing measurements at X-ray energies in…
X-ray binary systems consist of a companion star and a compact object in close orbit. Thanks to their copious X-ray emission, these objects have been studied in detail using X-ray spectroscopy and timing. The inclination of these systems is…
X-ray emission is from shock-heated plasma in magnetic cataclysmic variables, and is processed by absorption and scattering before reaching the observer. We investigate these effects in the X-ray emission of the Intermediate Polar IGR…
$\gamma$ rays are emitted by cosmic sources by non-thermal processes that yield either non-polarized photons, such as those from $\pi^0$ decay in hadronic interactions, or linearly polarized photons from synchrotron radiation and the…
Any future high energy e+e- linear collider aims at precision measurements of Standard Model quantities as well as of new, not yet discovered phenomena. In order to pursue this physics programme, excellent detectors at the interaction…