Stokes Parameters in the Context Of X-ray Polarization Measurements by GEMS

Details Stokes Parameters in the Context Of X-ray Polarization Measurements by GEMS Stokes Parameters in the Context Of X-ray Polarization Measurements by GEMS

Sep 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011head...12.1902m&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #12, #19.02

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We present a discussion of how the Stokes parameterization of polarization can be combined with existing X-ray analysis methods. In the optical and radio astronomy communities, there is a long tradition of measuring polarization and inferring source properties from the measurements. Although historically significant measurements of X-ray polarization have been made, there is not yet widespread experience as to how X-ray polarization measurements should be connected to the astrophysical properties of a source. The systematic survey of X-ray polarization performed by Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small explorer (GEMS) will change that.
We propose to continue using the traditional Stokes parameterization of polarization components: GEMS will measure the orthogonal Stokes Q and U linear polarization components, as well as the Stokes I (total intensity) component. In the context of X-ray data analysis, an observer will obtain a pulse height spectrum in all three of these components. The Stokes I component is exactly the same pulse height counts spectrum that any X-ray detector would measure, while the Q and U components represent the measured linear polarization modulation, also as counts. Spectral model fitting (and upper limits) may proceed within any X-ray spectral fitting application, jointly fitting all three components. Spectral models will need to be made polarization-aware, but it is anticipated that this can be accomplished in many cases by a simple multiplicative polarization-aware model in combination with existing polarization-unaware models.

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