On understanding the figures of merit for detection and measurement of x-ray polarization

Details On understanding the figures of merit for detection and measurement of x-ray polarization On understanding the figures of merit for detection and measurement of x-ray polarization

2010-06-18

arxiv.org/abs/1006.3711v2

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics

5 pages, 2 figures, to be presented at SPIE conference 7732 (paper 13), corrected typos

Scientific paper

The prospects for accomplishing X-ray polarization measurements appear to have grown in recent years after a more than 35-year hiatus. Unfortunately, this long hiatus has brought with it some confusion over the statistical uncertainties associated with polarization measurements of astronomical sources. The heart of this confusion stems from a misunderstanding (or potential misunderstanding) of a standard figure of merit-the minimum detectable polarization (MDP)-that one of us introduced many years ago. We review the relevant statistics, and quantify the differences between the MDP and the uncertainty of an actual polarization measurement. We discuss the implications for future missions.

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