A detailed description of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer emphasizing its unique capabilities.

ORAL  · Invited

Abstract

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a NASA small explorer in partnership with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Launched in 2021 December, IXPE uses new technology---developed in Italy for measuring the degree of polarization and the position angle--- and advances of X-ray optics technology developed in the United States---to provide 1-arc minute scale imaging polarimetry in the energy range 2-8 keV. This presentation describes the IXPE observatory and baseline two-year mission.

*The Imaging X ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) is a joint US and Italian mission. The US contribution is supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and led and managed by its Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), with industry partner Ball Aerospace (contract NNM15AA18C). The Italian contribution is supported by the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, ASI) through contract ASI-OHBI-2017-12-I.0, agreements ASI-INAF-2017-12-H0 and ASI-INFN-2017.13-H0, and its Space Science Data Center (SSDC) with agreements ASI-INAF-2022-14-HH.0 and ASI-INFN 2021-43-HH.0, and by the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF) and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) in Italy. This research used data products provided by the IXPE Team (MSFC, SSDC, INAF, and INFN) and distributed with additional software tools by the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC), at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

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Lead Author(s)

Submission
Original/Revised

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Press release

Links to arXiv / ADS
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Steven
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ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...935..116E
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Jacco
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yes


ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...938...40V
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Victor Doroshenko


Science /
Nature Astronomy
published

yes


ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022NatAs...6.1433D
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Fei Xie


Nature


published


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Henric Krawczynski


Science
published

yes


ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022Sci...378..650K
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ApJ
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ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...940...70M
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Niccoló Bucciantini


Science /
Nature Astronomy


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arxiv.org/abs/2207.05573
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MNRASL
published




ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022MNRAS.516.5907M
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Di Gesu


ApJL
published




ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...938L...7D
GS 1826-238 accreting neutron star


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Capitanio


ApJ


accepted





arxiv.org/abs/2212.12472
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neutron star


Sergey
Tsygankov


ApJL


published





ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023ApJ...942L..10M
Cyg X-2 accreting
neutron star


Ruben
Farinelli


MNRAS


published





ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022MNRAS.tmp.3476F
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ApJL


published
ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023ApJ...942L..10M
Circinus Galaxy radio quiet AGN


Francesco Ursini


MNRAS


published





ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023MNRAS.519...50U
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Riccardo Ferrazzoli


Nature Astronomy /
ApJ


submitted

Sgr A complex


Frédéric
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Nature


submitted






Vela X-1 accreting neutron star


Sofia
Forsblom


ApJL


submitted






GRB 221009A


Michela Negro


ApJL


submitted


yes, coordinated


http://arxiv.org/abs/2301.01798

Presenters

  • Martin C Weisskopf

    • NASA/MSFC

Authors

  • Martin C Weisskopf

    • NASA/MSFC