Balloon-borne hard X-ray astronomy with PoGOLite: Opening a new window on the universe

TL;DR

PoGOLite is a balloon-borne instrument designed to measure high-energy X-ray polarization between 25 and 100 keV, opening new observational windows for understanding astrophysical sources.

Contribution

This paper introduces PoGOLite, a novel balloon-borne polarimeter for high-energy X-ray astronomy, enabling polarization measurements previously unfeasible from the ground.

Findings

Designed to measure X-ray polarization between 25-100 keV

Scheduled for launch in summer 2013 from Sweden

Targets include Crab pulsar, nebula, and Cygnus X-1

Abstract

High energy polarization can be an indication of geometry, orientation, and other physical phenomena for a variety of sources, but has heretofore been a virtually unmeasured phenomenon. PoGOLite is a balloon-borne instrument intended to measure the polarization of X-rays between 25 and 100 keV. The pathfinder version of the instrument is scheduled to be launched from northern Sweden in summer 2013. The primary targets are the Crab pulsar and nebula and Cygnus X-1.