The Gas Pixel Detector on board the IXPE mission

摘要

Polarimetry is universally recognized as one of the new frontiers in X-ray astrophysics. It is a powerful tool to investigate a variety of astrophysical processes, as well as a mean to study fundamental physics in space. The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) has been selected by NASA to be the next mission dedicated to X-ray polarimetry. It is based on a Gas Pixel Detector that is able to add polarization measurement to imaging and spectroscopy, and will be placed at the focus of a conventional X-ray optics. The detector exploits the photoelectric effect in gas and a finely segmented ASIC as a collecting anode. In this work I will describe in detail the experimental technique and the detector that will fly on the IXPE mission.