X-ray Polarimetry
A New Window in Astrophysics
Cambridge Contemporary Astrophysics Series

Due to the advent of a new generation of detectors, X-ray polarimetry promises to join X-ray imaging, spectroscopy and timing as one of the main observational techniques in high energy astrophysics. This has renewed interest in the field, and indeed several polarimetric missions have recently been proposed. This volume provides a complete and up-to-date view of the subject for researchers in astrophysics. The contributors discuss the present status and perspectives of instruments, review current theoretical models, and examine future missions. As well as detailed papers, the book contains broad reviews that can be easily understood by astrophysicists new to the field.

1. X-ray polarimetry: historical remarks and other considerations; Part I. Polarimetry Techniques: 2. Scattering polarimetry in high energy astronomy; 3. Photoelectric polarimeters; 4. Bragg crystal polarimeters; 5. X-ray polarimetry with the photon counting pixel detector timepix; 6. HE polarized photon interactions with matter: simulations with geant4; 7. The GPD as a polarimeter: theory and facts; 8. Ideal gas electron multipliers (GEMs) for x-ray polarimeters; 9. Broad-band soft x-ray polarimetry; 10. Feasibility of x-ray photoelectric polarimeters with large field of view; 11. Angular resolution of a photoelectric polarimeter; 12. Development of a Thomson x-ray polarimeter; 13. Hard x / soft gamma ray polarimetry using a Laue lens; Part II. Polarized Emission in X-ray Sources: 14. Probing strong gravity effects with x-ray polarimetry; 15. X-ray polarization from black holes in the thermal state; 16. Strong-gravity effects acting on polarization from orbiting spots; 17. Polarization of thermal emission from accreting black holes; 18. X-ray polarimetry and radio-quiet AGN; 19. The soft x-ray polarization in obscured AGN; 20. The polarization of complex x-ray sources; 21. Polarization of Compton x-rays from jets in AGN; 22. Polarization of x-ray lines from galaxy clusters and elliptical galaxies; 23. Polarization characteristics of rotation-powered pulsars; 24. Polarized x-rays from magnetized neutron stars; 25. Polarization properties of x-ray millisecond pulsars; 26. X-ray polarization signatures of neutron stars; 27. Polarization from the oscillating magnetized accretion torus; 28. X-ray polarization from accreting white dwarfs and associated systems; 29. Polarization of pulsar wind nebulae; 30. X-ray polarization of gamma-ray bursts; 31. Central engine afterglow from GRBs and the polarization signature; 32. GRB afterglow polarimetry. Past, present and future; 33. Gamma-ray polarimetry with SPI; 34. INTEGRAL/IBIS observations of the Crab Nebula and GRB 041219A; 35. Fermi results on the origin of high energy emission in pulsars; 36. Diagnostics of the evolution of spiral galaxies in a cluster environment; Part III. Future Missions: 37. Gravity and extreme magnetism SMEX (GEMS); 38. Programs of x-ray polarimetry in Italy; 39. A polarimeter for IXO; 40. Polarimetry with ASTRO-H soft gamma-ray detector; 41. EXIST and its polarization sensitivity; 42. PoGOLite: a balloon-borne soft gamma-ray polarimeter; 43. Studies of neutron background rejection in the PoGOLite polarimeter; 44. Observing polarized x-rays with PoGOLite; 45. Pre-flight qualification tests of the PoGOLite detector system; 46. The gamma-ray polarimeter experiment (GRAPE) Balloon Payload; 47. POLAR: an instrument dedicated to GRB polarization measurement; 48. Polarisation detection capability of GRIPS; 49. X-ray and y-ray polarimetry small satellite mission polaris; 50. GAP aboard the solar powered sail mission; 51. Hard x-ray polarimeter for small satellite missions; 52. Performance of hard x-ray polarimeter: PHENEX; 53. GRB polarimetry with POET; Index.

Ronaldo Bellazzini is Director of Research at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Italy. His main research interests are particle astrophysics, X-ray polarimetry, and the development of highly innovative particle detectors.
Enrico Costa is Director of Research at the Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica-Roma of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF). His areas of research are in X-ray and gamma-ray astrophysics and polarimetry.
Giorgio Matt is a Professor at the Physics Department, Universitá Roma Tre, where he teaches both basic physics and astrophysics. His research activities are concerned mainly with the physics of accretion onto black holes, from both theoretical and observational points of view.
Gianpiero Tagliaferri is an Associate Astronomer at the Brera Astronomical Observatory of INAF. His research activities deal with the studies of gamma-ray bursts, active galactic nuclei, and with the development of new X-ray focussing telescopes.