Speaker
Description
On the behalf of a wide collaboration.
High energy polarimetry, as recently demonstrated by NASA’s IXPE mission in the soft X ray band, is opening new perspectives in high energy astrophysics by adding a fresh observational dimension alongside the well established techniques of spectroscopy, imaging, and timing. This measurement capability had already been proposed to the scientific community by a broad collaboration in response to the ESA call (1 June 2004) for scientific themes for the preparation of the Cosmic Vision 2015–2025 programme (“X and gamma ray polarisation: the ultimate dimension”).
In the late 1990s, our group began exploring the use of CdTe/CZT spectrometers—at the time an emerging technology in high energy astrophysics (e.g., INTEGRAL/IBIS, Swift/BAT)—to develop detectors capable of exploiting the modulation of Compton scattering expected for linearly polarised photons. Since then, together with national and international collaborators, we have designed several prototypes and proposed various configurations of highly segmented CdTe/CZT spectrometers able to operate as Compton scattering polarimeters for hard X rays and soft gamma rays, while simultaneously providing spectroscopy, timing, and imaging capabilities.
This effort has been accompanied by a series of experiments that have confirmed the suitability of such detectors for polarimetric measurements in the energy range from a few hundred keV up to the MeV domain.
In this presentation, on behalf of all colleagues who have contributed to this long term endeavour, I will outline the development of these activities, summarise the main results obtained over the years, and discuss potential opportunities for future space missions dedicated to hard X ray and soft gamma ray astrophysics.