| Title: |
Compton polarimetry: the Soft-X and gamma-ray WIde-field Polarimeter Explorer |
| Authors: |
Borciani, E.; Campana, R.; Baldazzi, G.; Amati, L.; Virgilli, E.; Labanti, C.; Marchesini, E.J.; Mattioli, G.; Calabretto, P.; Srivastava, S.; Sharma, A.; Pisapia, A.; Muleri, F. |
| Source: |
Journal of Instrumentation ; volume 21, issue 02, page C02014 ; ISSN 1748-0221 |
| Publisher Information: |
IOP Publishing |
| Publication Year: |
2026 |
| Description: |
Polarimetry of the transient sky is an emerging field in high-energy astrophysics. The Soft-X and gamma-ray WIde-field Polarimeter (SWIPE), a new concept mission, aims to integrate photoelectric and Compton polarimeters. At low energies (0.2–30 keV), SWIPE employs photoelectric absorption in gas mixtures, optimizing both quantum efficiency and polarization sensitivity. For hard X-rays and gamma-rays (20–200 keV), Compton scattering techniques are usually preferred. The SWIPE Compton polarimeter consists of an array of plastic and inorganic scintillator bars coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers or Silicon Drift Detectors at both bar ends. Typically, Compton polarimeters reconstruct events considering only the azimuthal scattering angle, simplifying the analysis but limiting performance for off-axis sources. Instead, the peculiar readout configuration of SWIPE, applied on both sides of the bars, enables the measurement of the Depth of Interaction, by comparing the intensity of the two acquired signals for each detected event. This allows us to estimate the polar scattering angle improving sensitivity and reducing systematic errors in polarization measurements. This work presents the SWIPE Compton polarimeter concept and the ongoing development of its prototype. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| Language: |
unknown |
| DOI: |
10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/c02014 |
| DOI: |
10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/C02014 |
| DOI: |
10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/C02014/pdf |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/c02014; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/C02014; https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-0221/21/02/C02014/pdf |
| Rights: |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ; https://iopscience.iop.org/info/page/text-and-data-mining |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.8AA05971 |
| Database: |
BASE |