An Algorithm to Calibrate and Correct the Response to Unpolarized Radiation of the X-Ray Polarimeter Onboard IXPE

The Gas Pixel Detector (GPD) is an X-ray polarimeter to fly onboard IXPE and other missions. To correctly measure the source polarization, the response of IXPE's GPDs to unpolarized radiation has to be calibrated and corrected. In this paper, we describe the way such response is measured with laboratory sources and the algorithm to apply such correction to the observations of celestial sources. The latter allows to correct the response to polarization of single photons, therefore allowing great flexibility in all the subsequent analysis. Our correction approach is tested against both monochromatic and nonmonochromatic laboratory sources and with simulations, finding that it correctly retrieves the polarization up to the statistical limits of the planned IXPE observations.

Volume

163

Issue

2

Start page

39

Uri

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12386/31726

Url

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ac397f

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85123734414

Issn Identifier

0004-6256

Rights

open.access

File(s)

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Rankin_2022_AJ_163_39.pdf

Description

Pdf editoriale

Size

1.7 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

284366cc8347dff07d632aa78e19065e

Name

Calibrazione_en.pdf

Description

preprint

Size

7.02 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

93ad9f1ffea1a3ba44697284fdee6f44

An Algorithm to Calibrate and Correct the Response to Unpolarized Radiation of the X-Ray Polarimeter Onboard IXPE

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