Related papers: An X-ray Polarimeter for Constellation-X
Since the birth of X-ray Astronomy, spectacular advances have been seen in the imaging, spectroscopic and timing studies of the hot and violent X-ray Universe, and further leaps forward are expected in the future. On the other hand,…
This paper discusses some of the challenges of spectro-polarimetric observations with a large aperture solar telescope such as the ATST or the EST. The observer needs to reach a compromise among spatial and spectral resolution, time…
Polarimetric measurements, especially if extended at high energy, are expected to provide important insights into the mechanisms underlying the acceleration of relativistic particles in jets. In a previous work we have shown that the…
An easily constructed and operated polarimeter precisely determines the relative Stokes parameters that characterize the polarization of laser light. The polarimeter is calibrated in situ without removing or realigning its optical elements,…
The extreme conditions found near black holes and neutron stars provide a unique opportunity for testing physical theories. Observations of both types of compact objects can be used to probe regions of strong gravity, allowing for tests of…
We propose using interferometry of circularly polarized light as a mechanism by which to test for axion dark matter. These interferometers differ from standard interferometers only by the addition of a few quarter waveplates to preserve the…
Science opportunities and recommendations concerning optical/infrared polarimetry for the upcoming decade in the field of cosmology. Community-based White Paper to Astro2010 in response to the call for such papers.
In this paper we present the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission - eXTP. eXTP is a space science mission designed to study fundamental physics under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism. The mission aims at…
I review the astrophysical insights arising from high-precision astrometric observations of X-ray binary systems, focussing primarily (but not exclusively) on recent results with very long baseline interferometry. Accurate,…
We develop two new highly efficient estimators to measure the polarization (Stokes parameters) in experiments that constrain the position angle of individual photons such as scattering and gas-pixel-detector polarimeters, and analyse in…
Asteroseismology has the capability of delivering stellar properties which would otherwise be inaccessible, such as radii, masses and thus ages of stars. When coupling this information with classical determinations of stellar parameters,…
We find that the polarimetric observations of protoplanetary disks are useful to search for ultra-light axion dark matter. Axion dark matter predicts the rotation of the linear polarization plane of propagating light, and protoplanetary…
Pulsar systems are very good experimental laboratories for the fundamental physics in extreme environments which cannot be achieved on ground. For example, the systems are under conditions of high magnetic field strength, large…
The new generation of X-ray polarisation detectors, gas pixel detectors, which will be employed by the future space missions IXPE and eXTP, allows for spatially resolved X-ray polarisation studies. This will be of particular interest for…
Be/X-ray binaries are the most numerous group of high-mass X-ray binaries. Their long-term optical and infrared variability reflects the evolution of the circumstellar disk around the luminous companion. This variability manifests…
Alternative theories of gravity predict up to six distinct polarization modes for gravitational waves. Strong gravitational lensing of gravitational waves allows us to probe the polarization content of these signals by effectively…
Polarization provides additional diagnostic opportunities for probing the structured environments of massive stars as well as the illumination of those environments by stars that are not spherical. After a brief overview of polarization…
We report on the design and estimated performance of a balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimeter called HX-POL. The experiment uses a combination of Si and Cadmium Zinc Telluride detectors to measure the polarization of 50 keV-400 keV X-rays…
Some tests of fundamental physics - the equation of state at supra-nuclear densities, the metric in strong gravity, the effect of magnetic fields above the quantum critical value - can only be measured using compact astrophysical objects:…
XPOL, the first correlation polarimeter at a large millimeter telescope, uses a flexible digital correlator to measure all four Stokes parameters simultaneously, i.e. the total power I, the linear polarization components Q and U, and the…