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Imaging X-ray Polarimeter for Solar Flares (IXPS)

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Abstract

We describe the design of a balloon-borne Imaging X-ray Polarimeter for Solar flares (IXPS). This novel instrument, a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) for photoelectric polarimetry, will be capable of measuring polarization at the few percent level in the 20–50 keV energy range during an M- or X-class flare, and will provide imaging information at the ∼10 arcsec level. The primary objective of such observations is to determine the directivity of nonthermal high-energy electrons producing solar hard X-rays, and hence to learn about the particle acceleration and energy release processes in solar flares. Secondary objectives include the separation of the thermal and nonthermal components of the flare X-ray emissions and the separation of photospheric albedo fluxes from direct emissions.

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Notes

  1. GEMs and GEMS are distinct acronyms. GEMs (Gas Electron Multipliers) are detector elements; GEMS (Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX) is a NASA Explorer mission [50].

  2. For neon, the K-edge is 0.87 keV . Thus the photoelectron energy is reduced from the 6.4 keV X-ray energy by this amount in the neon-based mixture. For the sake of simplicity, we neglect the K-edges of the other elements in this comparison.

  3. 0.1 mCi at 22 keV should have comparable detection rate to 1 mCi at 60 keV.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NASA through the Heliophysics Low Cost Access to Space program of the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES). Several individuals have provided technical assistance or advice for this project. We thank Bob Baker and Ken Simms for custom electronics. Michael Dion assisted especially with the cleaning and stretching of GEMs. Jeff Martoff provided useful advice and ideas particularly concerning detector gas. Zach Prieskorn’s work with a similar detector provided a useful baseline for testing and troubleshooting various problems. Phil Kaaret suggested polarization through Compton scattering and provided references. We thank Toru Tamagawa for help communicating with Japanese suppliers. Finally, we thank Zhong Zhong for assistance concerning the use of synchrotron radiation for 20–50 keV polarized X-rays.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Code 671, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Michael Hosack, Brian R. Dennis & Albert Y. Shih

  2. ADNET Systems, Inc., 164 Rollins Avenue, Suite 303, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA

    Michael Hosack

  3. Rock Creek Scientific, 1200 East-West Hwy, Suite 1411, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA

    J. Kevin Black

  4. Code 662, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    Philip Deines-Jones, Joanne E. Hill & Keith Jahoda

  5. CRESST/Universities Space Research Association, 10211 Wincopin Circle, Suite 500, Columbia, MD, 21044, USA

    Joanne E. Hill & Christian E. Urba

  6. Department of Physics & Astronomy, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, 42101, USA

    A. Gordon Emslie

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  1. Michael Hosack
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Hosack, M., Black, J.K., Deines-Jones, P. et al. Imaging X-ray Polarimeter for Solar Flares (IXPS). Exp Astron 32, 101–125 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-011-9254-1

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