Pathfinder flight of the Polarized Gamma-ray Observer (PoGOLite) in 2013

TL;DR

The PoGOLite balloon-borne instrument measures gamma-ray polarization in the 25-240 keV range, successfully conducting observations of the Crab during a 2013 flight to advance gamma-ray polarization studies.

Contribution

This paper reports the first successful flight of PoGOLite, demonstrating its capability to measure gamma-ray polarization from a balloon platform.

Findings

Successful near-circumpolar flight from Sweden to Russia

First observations of Crab with PoGOLite in 2013

Validation of instrument performance in flight

Abstract

The Polarized Gamma-ray Observer (PoGOLite) is a balloon-borne instrument that can measure polarization in the energy range 25--240 keV. The instrument adopts an array of well-type "phoswich" detectors in order to suppress backgrounds. Based on the anisotropy of Compton scattering angles resulting from polarized gamma-rays, the polarization of the observed source can be reconstructed. During July 12-26 of 2013, a successful near-circumpolar pathfinder flight was conducted from Esrange, Sweden, to Norilsk, Russia. During this two-week flight, several observations of the Crab were conducted. Here, we present the PoGOLite instrument and summarize the 2013 flight.