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Paper: HX-POL – A Balloon-Borne Hard X-Ray Polarimeter
Volume: 427, Accretion and Ejection in AGN: a Global View
Page: 187
Authors: Beilicke, M.; Baring, M. G.; De Geronimo, G.; Dowkontt, P.; Garson III, A.; Grindlay, J.; Harding, A.; Hong, J.; Krawczynski, H.; Kurfess, J.; Li, Q.; Martin, J.; Novikova, E. I.; Wulf, E. A.
Abstract: The design and estimated performance of a balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimeter called HX-POL is reported. The experiment uses a combination of Si and Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors to measure the polarization of 50–500 keV X-rays through the dependence of the angular distribution of Compton scattered photons on the polarization direction. On a 15 to 30-day balloon flight, HX-POL would allow one to measure the polarization of bright Crab-like sources for polarization degrees down to a few %. Hard X-ray polarization measurements provide unique venues for the study of particle acceleration processes by compact objects and relativistic outflows.
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