2023-06-16 Abstract
Title: The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): A Paradigm-Breaking Scientific Mission
Speaker: Chien-Ting Chen (NASA)
Date: June 16 at 14:30
Location: R521, General Building II
Abstract:
IXPE is a joint NASA and Italian scientific mission launched into low-earth equatorial orbit on December 9, 2021. IXPE uses new technology---developed in Italy---for measuring the degree of polarization and the position angle--- and advances of X-ray optics technology---developed in the United States at the Marshall Space Flight Center---to provide 1-arc minute scale imaging polarimetry in the energy range 2-8 keV. I will present some of the often surprising and unexpected results from the first year of the mission on accreting supermassive and stellar mass black holes, neutron stars, magnetars, and supernova remnants.