 An artist's impression of IXPE. On the top are its three identical X-ray optics elements, the sensors are on the bottom. | |
| Names | IXPE SMEX-14 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | X-ray astronomy satellite |
| Operator | NASA / Italian Space Agency |
| COSPAR ID | 2021-121A |
| SATCAT no. | 49954 |
| Website | ixpe |
| Mission duration | 2 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | IXPE |
| Spacecraft type | Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer |
| Bus | BCP-100 |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace & Technologies |
| Launch mass | 325 kg (717 lb) [1] |
| Payload mass | 170 kg (370 lb) |
| Dimensions | 1.1 m (3 ft 7 in) in diameter and 5.2 m (17 ft) tall, fully extended Solar array: 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) fully deployed |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 December 2021, 06:00 UTC (planned) [2] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5[3]♺ B1061.5[4] |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 540 km (340 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 540 km (340 mi) |
| Inclination | 0,20° |
| Period | 90.00 minutes |
| Main telescope | |
| Type | Three-mirror |
| Focal length | 4 m [5] |
| Wavelengths | X-ray |
| Transponders | |
| Band | S-band [6] |
.jpg) IPXE mission logo Explorer Program | |
Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, commonly known as IXPE, is a NASA space observatory with three identical telescopes designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays.[7] The mission will study exotic astronomical objects and permit mapping the magnetic fields of black holes, neutron stars, pulsars, supernova remnants, magnetars, quasars, and active galactic nuclei. The high-energy X-ray radiation from these objects' surrounding environment can be polarized – vibrating in a particular direction. Studying the polarization of X-rays reveals the physics of these objects and can provide insights into the high-temperature environments where they are created.[8]
Overview
The IXPE mission was announced on 3 January 2017.[7] It was developed by NASA's Small Explorer program (SMEX) and is slated for launch on 9 December 2021.[2] The estimated cost of the mission and its two-year operation is US$188 million (the launch cost is US$50.3 million).[9][8] The goal of the IXPE mission is to expand understanding of high-energy astrophysical processes and sources, in support of NASA's first science objective in astrophysics: "Discover how the universe works".[1] By obtaining X-ray polarimetry and polarimetric imaging of cosmic sources, IXPE addresses two specific science objectives: to determine the radiation processes and detailed properties of specific cosmic X-ray sources or categories of sources; and to explore general relativistic and quantum effects in extreme environments.[1][7]
During IXPE's two-year mission, it will study targets such as active galactic nuclei, quasars, pulsars, pulsar wind nebulae, magnetars, accreting X-ray binaries, supernova remnants, and the Galactic Center.[5]
The spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies.[1] The principal investigator is Martin C. Weisskopf of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; he is the chief scientist for X-ray astronomy at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and project scientist for the Chandra X-ray Observatory spacecraft.[8]
International collaboration
The IXPE mission is an international collaboration signed on June 2017.[1] The X-ray polarization detectors will be provided by the Italian Space Agency (ASI).[8] Other partners include the University of Colorado Boulder, Stanford University, McGill University in Canada, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)[1] and OHB Italia.[10]
Objectives
The technical and science objectives include:[2]
- Improve polarization sensitivity by two orders of magnitude over the X-ray polarimeter aboard the Orbiting Solar Observatory 8
- Provide simultaneous spectral, spatial, and temporal measurements
- Determine the geometry and the emission mechanism of active galactic nuclei and microquasars
- Find the magnetic field configuration in magnetars and determine the magnitude of the field
- Find the mechanism for X-ray production in pulsars (both isolated and accreting) and the geometry
- Determine how particles are accelerated in pulsar wind nebula
Telescopes
| Telescope (x3) | Basic parameters |
|---|---|
| Wavelength | X-ray |
| Energy range | 2–8 keV |
| Field of view (FOV) | >11′ |
| Angular resolution | ≤30″ |
The space observatory features three identical telescopes designed to measure the polarization of cosmic X-rays.[7] The polarization sensitive detector was invented and developed by Italian scientists of the Istituto Nazionale di AstroFisica (INAF) and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and was refined over several years.[5][11][12]
Principle
IXPE's payload is a set of three identical imaging X-ray polarimetry systems mounted on a common optical bench and co-aligned with the pointing axis of the spacecraft.[1] Each system operates independently for redundancy, and comprises a 4-meter focal length mirror module assembly that focuses X-rays onto polarization-sensitive imaging detector developed in Italy.[1] The focal length is achieved using a deployable boom.
The Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) utilize the anisotropy of the emission direction of photoelectrons produced by polarized photons to gauge with high sensitivity the polarization state of X-rays interacting in a gaseous medium.[5] Position-dependent and energy-dependent polarization maps of such synchrotron-emitting sources will elucidate the magnetic field structure of the X-ray emitting regions. X-ray polarimetric imaging better indicates the magnetic structure in regions of strong electron acceleration. The system is capable to resolve point sources from surrounding nebular emission or from adjacent point sources.[5]
Launch Profile
The mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Thursday, Dec. 9, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, B1061.5 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.The relatively small size and mass of the IXPE observatory falls well short of the normal capacity of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. But IXPE will launch in a unique equatorial orbit from Cape Canaveral, requiring a significant sideways burn, or plane change maneuver, with the Falcon 9’s upper stage before deployment of the spacecraft at an altitude around 335 miles (540 kilometers) so the first stage will land on a droneship, rather than a ground pad.
IXPE is the first satellite dedicated to measuring the polarization of X-rays from a variety of cosmic sources, such as black holes and neutron stars.The orbit hugging the equator will minimize the X-ray instrument’s exposure to radiation in the South Atlantic Anomaly, the region where the inner Van Allen radiation belt comes closest to Earth’s surface.
See also
- Astrophysical X-ray source
- GEMS, a similar spacecraft
- List of X-ray space telescopes
- X-ray astronomy
- X-ray telescope
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer)". eoportal.com. ESA. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ a b c "IXPE Home: Expanding the X-ray View of the Universe". Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). NASA. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for Groundbreaking Astrophysics Mission" (Press release). NASA. 8 July 2019. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ @SpaceX (4 December 2021). "This will also be the fifth flight for this Falcon 9's first stage booster, which previously supported launch of Crew-1, Crew-2, SXM-8, and CRS-23" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e Weisskopf, Martin C.; Ramsey, Brian; o'Dell, Stephen L.; Tennant, Allyn; Elsner, Ronald; Soffitta, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Costa, Enrico; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery; Kaspi, Victoria; Muleri, Fabio; Marshall, Herman; Matt, Giorgio; Romani, Roger (2016). "The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)". Results in Physics. 6: 1179–1180. Bibcode:2016ResPh...6.1179W. doi:10.1016/j.rinp.2016.10.021.
- ^ "IXPE Fact Sheet" (PDF). NASA. 2017. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d NASA Selects Mission to Study Black Holes, Cosmic X-ray Mysteries Karen Northon, NASA 3 January 2017 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b c d NASA selects X-ray astronomy mission Jeff Foust, SpaceNews 4 January 2017
- ^ Clark, Stephen (8 July 2019). "SpaceX wins NASA contract to launch X-ray telescope on reused rocket". Spaceflight Now.
- ^ Presentation: Advanced Observatory Design for the Imaging X-Ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE) Mission
- ^ Costa, Enrico; Soffitta, Paolo; Bellazzini, Ronaldo; Brez, Alessandro; Lumb, Nicholas; Spandre, Gloria (2001). "An efficient photoelectric X-ray polarimeter for the study of black holes and neutron stars". Nature (journal). 411 (6838): 662–665. Bibcode:2001Natur.411..662C. doi:10.1038/35079508. PMID 11395761. S2CID 4348577.
- ^ Bellazzini, R.; Spandre, G.; Minuti, M.; Baldini, L.; Brez, A.; Latronico, L.; Omodei, N.; Razzano, M.; Massai, M. M.; Pesce-Rollins, M.; Sgrò, C.; Costa, E.; Soffitta, P.; Sipila, H.; Lempinen, E. (2017). "A sealed Gas Pixel Detector for X-ray astronomy". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A. 592 (2): 853–858. arXiv:astro-ph/0611512. Bibcode:2007NIMPA.579..853B. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2007.05.304. S2CID 119036804.
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