The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter)
The Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-ray Polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) is a sounding rocket instrument that can make the first measurement of the linear X-ray p olarization of an extragalactic source in the 0.2-0.8 keV band as low as 10%. We employ multilayer-coated mirrors as Bragg re...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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SPIE
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115151 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6492-1293 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9980-5295 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4081-6322 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-2840 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6932-2612 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 |
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| author | Ramsey, Brian . Guenther, Hans Moritz Windt, David L. Gullikson, Eric M. Pareschi, Giovanni Tagliaferri, Gianpiero Jorstad, Svetlana Marscher, Alan Weisskopf, Martin Marshall, Herman Schulz, Norbert S Heilmann, Ralf K Heine, Sarah N.T. Guenther, Hans Moritz Egan, Mark Hellickson, Timothy H Schattenburg, Mark L Chakrabarty, Deepto |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Ramsey, Brian . Guenther, Hans Moritz Windt, David L. Gullikson, Eric M. Pareschi, Giovanni Tagliaferri, Gianpiero Jorstad, Svetlana Marscher, Alan Weisskopf, Martin Marshall, Herman Schulz, Norbert S Heilmann, Ralf K Heine, Sarah N.T. Guenther, Hans Moritz Egan, Mark Hellickson, Timothy H Schattenburg, Mark L Chakrabarty, Deepto |
| author_sort | Ramsey, Brian . |
| collection | MIT |
| description | The Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-ray Polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) is a sounding rocket instrument that can make the first measurement of the linear X-ray p olarization of an extragalactic source in the 0.2-0.8 keV band as low as 10%. We employ multilayer-coated mirrors as Bragg reflectors at the Brewster angle. By matching the dispersion of a spectrometer using replicated optics from MSFC and critical angle transmission gratings from MIT to three laterally graded multilayer mirrors (LGMLs), we achieve polarization modulation factors over 90%. We present a novel arrangement of gratings, designed optimally for the purpose of polarimetry with a converging beam. The entrance aperture is divided into six equal sectors; pairs of blazed gratings from opposite sectors are oriented to disperse to the same LGML. The LGML position angles are 120 degrees to each other. CCD detectors then measure the intensities of the dispersed spectra after reflection and polarizing by the LGMLs, giving the three Stokes parameters needed to determine a source's linear polarization fraction and orientation. A current grant is funding further development to improve the LGMLs. Sample gratings for the project have been fabricated at MIT and the development team continues to improve them under separate funding. Our technological approach is the basis for a possible orbital mission. Keywords: X-ray, polarimeter, astronomy, multilayer, mirror, grating |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:47:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/115151 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T11:47:28Z |
| publishDate | 2018 |
| publisher | SPIE |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/1151512022-09-27T21:56:26Z The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) Ramsey, Brian . Guenther, Hans Moritz Windt, David L. Gullikson, Eric M. Pareschi, Giovanni Tagliaferri, Gianpiero Jorstad, Svetlana Marscher, Alan Weisskopf, Martin Marshall, Herman Schulz, Norbert S Heilmann, Ralf K Heine, Sarah N.T. Guenther, Hans Moritz Egan, Mark Hellickson, Timothy H Schattenburg, Mark L Chakrabarty, Deepto Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research Marshall, Herman Schulz, Norbert S Heilmann, Ralf K Heine, Sarah N.T. Guenther, Hans Moritz Egan, Mark Hellickson, Timothy H Schattenburg, Mark L Chakrabarty, Deepto The Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-ray Polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) is a sounding rocket instrument that can make the first measurement of the linear X-ray p olarization of an extragalactic source in the 0.2-0.8 keV band as low as 10%. We employ multilayer-coated mirrors as Bragg reflectors at the Brewster angle. By matching the dispersion of a spectrometer using replicated optics from MSFC and critical angle transmission gratings from MIT to three laterally graded multilayer mirrors (LGMLs), we achieve polarization modulation factors over 90%. We present a novel arrangement of gratings, designed optimally for the purpose of polarimetry with a converging beam. The entrance aperture is divided into six equal sectors; pairs of blazed gratings from opposite sectors are oriented to disperse to the same LGML. The LGML position angles are 120 degrees to each other. CCD detectors then measure the intensities of the dispersed spectra after reflection and polarizing by the LGMLs, giving the three Stokes parameters needed to determine a source's linear polarization fraction and orientation. A current grant is funding further development to improve the LGMLs. Sample gratings for the project have been fabricated at MIT and the development team continues to improve them under separate funding. Our technological approach is the basis for a possible orbital mission. Keywords: X-ray, polarimeter, astronomy, multilayer, mirror, grating United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX17AE11G) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX12AH12G) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research (Research Investment Grant) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX17AG43G) United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NNX15AC43G) 2018-05-02T13:48:38Z 2018-05-02T13:48:38Z 2017-08 2018-04-24T16:42:15Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 9781510612518 9781510612525 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115151 Marshall, Herman, et al. "The Rocket Experiment Demonstration of a Soft X-Ray Polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter)." 6-10 August, 2017, San Diego, California, edited by Oswald H. Siegmund, SPIE, 2017, p. 21. © COPYRIGHT SPIE https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6492-1293 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9980-5295 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4081-6322 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-2840 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6932-2612 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2274107 Proceedings Volume 10397, UV, X-Ray, and Gamma-Ray Space Instrumentation for Astronomy XX Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf SPIE SPIE |
| spellingShingle | Ramsey, Brian . Guenther, Hans Moritz Windt, David L. Gullikson, Eric M. Pareschi, Giovanni Tagliaferri, Gianpiero Jorstad, Svetlana Marscher, Alan Weisskopf, Martin Marshall, Herman Schulz, Norbert S Heilmann, Ralf K Heine, Sarah N.T. Guenther, Hans Moritz Egan, Mark Hellickson, Timothy H Schattenburg, Mark L Chakrabarty, Deepto The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title | The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title_full | The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title_fullStr | The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title_short | The rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x-ray polarimeter (REDSoX Polarimeter) |
| title_sort | rocket experiment demonstration of a soft x ray polarimeter redsox polarimeter |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115151 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6492-1293 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9980-5295 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4081-6322 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-2840 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6932-2612 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8804-8946 |
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