HARPO - A Gaseous TPC for High Angular Resolution Gamma-Ray Astronomy and Polarimetry from the MeV to the TeV

TL;DR

HARPO is a gaseous TPC designed as a high-precision gamma-ray telescope and polarimeter for energies from MeV to TeV, demonstrating promising properties through laboratory characterization.

Contribution

The paper introduces a novel gaseous TPC detector for high-angular-resolution gamma-ray astronomy and polarimetry, with initial laboratory results.

Findings

Demonstrator detector properties characterized with cosmic rays

Potential for high angular resolution in gamma-ray detection

Advancement in gamma-ray polarimetry techniques

Abstract

We propose a "thin" detector as a high-angular-precision telescope and polarimeter for cosmic gamma-rays above the pair-creation threshold. We have built a demonstrator based on a gaseous TPC. We are presently characterizing the detector with charged cosmic rays in the laboratory. Here we present some of its properties.