Multilayer mirror-based soft x-ray polarimeter for astronomical observations

Singam S. Panini; Parameswaran Sreekumar; Herman L. Marshall; Shyama Narendranath; Maheswar Nayak; P. Subramania Athiray

doi:10.1117/1.JATIS.4.1.011002

4 October 2017 Multilayer mirror-based soft x-ray polarimeter for astronomical observations

Singam S. Panini, Parameswaran Sreekumar, Herman L. Marshall, Shyama Narendranath, Maheswar Nayak, P. Subramania Athiray

Author Affiliations +

Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems, Vol. 4, Issue 1, 011002 (October 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.4.1.011002

Abstract

A simple design of a soft x-ray polarimeter using multilayer mirrors is presented. A multilayer mirror acts as a linear polarization analyzer for x-rays at incidence angles close to the Brewster angle. The instrument consists of an x-ray concentrator, a set of multilayer mirrors placed at 45 deg from the optical axis, and a detector at Nasmyth focus. The instrument rotating about its optical axis during observations can measure the linear polarization of 0.2- to 0.7-keV x-rays from astronomical sources. The use of a soft x-ray concentrator with geometrical area ∼630 cm2 provides sufficient sensitivity to address key scientific questions. Five different multilayer mirrors placed on a rotating wheel provide the option to measure polarization in any of the five narrow bands spanning the 0.2- to 0.7-keV range. Design and estimated performance of the design are discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Singam S. Panini, Parameswaran Sreekumar, Herman L. Marshall, Shyama Narendranath, Maheswar Nayak, and P. Subramania Athiray "Multilayer mirror-based soft x-ray polarimeter for astronomical observations," Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems 4(1), 011002 (4 October 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.JATIS.4.1.011002

Received: 12 May 2017; Accepted: 2 August 2017; Published: 4 October 2017

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