XPoSat, India’s first Polarimetry Satellite Mission
Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is collaborating with Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru to build X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat). It will be launched by the end of this year.
- XPoSat is India’s first dedicated polarimeter mission to study the diverse dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources under extreme conditions.
- This is the second polarimeter mission in the world. The world’s first polarimeter mission is NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimeter Explorer (IXPE).
XPoSat will carry the following two scientific payloads in LEO:
- POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-ray): This is the primary payload. It will measure polarimetry parameters (degree and angle of polarization) in the energy range of every 8–30 keV (kilo electron volts). This is the first payload in the medium X-ray energy band dedicated to polarimetry measurements.
- XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing): Payload This payload will provide spectroscopic information in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV, such as how light is absorbed and emitted by substances. It will observe a variety of sources of X-rays, such as X-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, neutron stars with low magnetic fields, etc.
Polarimetry
- Polarimetry is a technique for measuring the polarization of light.
- It is a tool that helps astronomers interpret information about celestial objects ranging from moving comets to distant galaxies.
- Polarization is observed at all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- This will provide spectroscopic information in the range, such as how light is absorbed and emitted by substances.
- It will observe a variety of sources of X-rays, such as X-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, neutron stars with low magnetic fields, etc.
X rays
X-rays have much higher energy and a much shorter wavelength than ultraviolet light. The wavelength of X-rays is very short, i.e. between 0.03 to 3 nanometers.
Source – Indian Express