Detection of partial polarization in Compton scattered photons

TL;DR

This paper reports the first detection of partial polarization in 1.836 MeV gamma-rays using a Compton telescope, demonstrating potential improvements in gamma-ray imaging performance.

Contribution

It extends previous work by experimentally detecting polarization in Compton scattered photons with a specific telescope setup.

Findings

Detected partial polarization in gamma-ray photons

Provides insights for enhancing Compton telescope imaging

Discusses application considerations for realistic telescopes

Abstract

It has been recently proposed (Boggs, Nucl. Instr. and Meth. A 503 (2003) 562), to use polarization of Compton scattered gamma-rays to improve the imaging performance of Compton telescopes. Building upon that work, we detected the aforementioned polarization in a sample of 1.836 MeV gamma-rays from the LXeGRIT Compton telescope. Here we present the measurement, together with detector oriented considerations on the application of the principle to a realistic Compton telescope.