X-POT: x-ray polarimetry with optical time projection chamber
X-ray polarimetry has recently emerged as a powerful probe of extreme astrophysical environments. Building upon the technological advances of the CYGNO/INITIUM program developed for directional Dark Matter searches, we demonstrate for the first time polarimetric measurements with an optical Time Projection Chamber (TPC) operated with He:CF<sub>4</sub> gas mixtures and exposed to polarized x-ray beams. We report modulation factors of <i>μ</i> = 0.32 at 17.4 keV, establishing the feasibility of extending photoelectric polarimetry to the hard x-ray band 10-50 keV, with detector volumes orders of magnitude larger. This approach could be implemented in collimated, wide-field polarimeters, complementing IXPE and future optics-based missions with large-area, low-cost instruments for transient and high-flux phenomena.
Authors
- Giorgio Dho (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9454-9894)
- E. Costa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4925-8523)
- Stefano Piacentini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1256-7149)
- Alessandro Di Marco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0331-3259)
- P. Soffitta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7781-4104)
- D. Fiorina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7104-257X)
- G. Mazzitelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2830-4359)
- Fabio Muleri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3331-3794)
- Samuele Torelli
- David Marques
- Atul Prajapati
- Sergio Fabiani
- Elisabetta Baracchini
Institutions
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (IT)
- Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (IT)
- Gran Sasso Science Institute (IT)
Publication Details
- Published
- 2025-09-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3065680
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Nuclear Physics and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.88