Polarization studies with NuSTAR

TL;DR

This paper investigates NuSTAR's potential to detect polarization in the hard X-ray regime (>50 keV), aiming to confirm previous findings and explore its capabilities for polarization measurements in cosmic sources.

Contribution

It assesses NuSTAR's polarization detection capabilities using its high-resolution CZT detectors, providing a new method for polarization studies in the 3-80 keV range.

Findings

NuSTAR can detect polarization from bright sources within ~10^5 seconds.

The detectors are sensitive to double events indicative of polarization.

Potential to confirm INTEGRAL's polarization measurements.

Abstract

The capability of NuSTAR to detect polarization in the Compton scattering regime (>50 keV) has been investigated. The NuSTAR mission, flown on June 2012 a Low Earth Orbit (LEO), provides a unique possibility to confirm the findings of INTEGRAL on the polarization of cosmic sources in the hard X-rays. Each of the two focal plane detectors are high resolution pixellated CZT arrays, sensitive in the energy range ~ 3 - 80 keV. These units have intrinsic polarization capabilities when the proper information on the double events is transmitted on ground. In this case it will be possible to detect polarization from bright sources on timescales of the order of 10^5s