Instrumentation and Future Missions in the Upcoming Era of X-Ray Polarimetry

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state and future prospects of X-ray polarimetry, highlighting technological advancements, existing instruments, and upcoming space missions to enhance observational capabilities.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of X-ray polarimetry instrumentation, recent technological developments, and future mission plans, emphasizing the field's renewed scientific interest.

Findings

Advancements in detector technologies enable more detailed X-ray polarization measurements.

Current and upcoming missions aim to expand observational capabilities across a broad energy range.

The field is experiencing renewed interest due to technological progress and scientific potential.

Abstract

The maturity of current detectors based on technologies that range from solid state to gases renewed the interest for X-ray polarimetry, raising the enthusiasm of a wide scientific community to improve the performance of polarimeters as well as to produce more detailed theoretical predictions. We will introduce the basic concepts about measuring the polarization of photons, especially in the X-rays, and we will review the current state of the art of polarimeters in a wide energy range from soft~to hard X-rays, from solar flares to distant astrophysical sources. We will introduce relevant examples of polarimeters developed from the recent past up to the panorama of upcoming space missions to show how the recent development of the technology is allowing reopening the observational window of X-ray polarimetry.