1. Feasibility of Observing Gamma-ray Polarization from Cygnus X-1 Using a CubeSat
- Author
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Hung-Hsiang Liang, Yi-Chi Chang, Hsiang-Yue, Jerome Rodriguez, Jeng-Lun Chiu, Chien-Ying Yang, Philippe Laurent, Che-Yen Chu, Chih-Hsun Lin, Hsiang-Kuang Chang, Département d'Astrophysique (ex SAP) (DAP), Institut de Recherches sur les lois Fondamentales de l'Univers (IRFU), and Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université Paris-Saclay
- Subjects
gamma ray: polarization ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Physics::Instrumentation and Detectors ,Astrophysics::High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena ,Gamma-ray detectors ,Gamma-ray telescopes ,FOS: Physical sciences ,01 natural sciences ,Astronomical instrumentation ,High Energy Physics - Experiment ,X-ray ,High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex) ,energy: threshold ,Optics ,cesium ,0103 physical sciences ,CubeSat ,angular distribution ,[PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-INS-DET]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Instrumentation and Detectors [physics.ins-det] ,010303 astronomy & astrophysics ,Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) ,scintillation counter ,orbit ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Physics ,Gamma-ray astronomy ,Gamma-ray sources ,beam: polarization ,business.industry ,background ,Astrophysical black holes ,Gamma ray ,Astrophysics::Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,trigger ,Polarization (waves) ,multiple scattering ,Automatic Keywords ,cerium ,gamma ray: emission ,black hole: binary ,Space and Planetary Science ,efficiency ,aluminum ,semiconductor detector ,business ,Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics ,numerical calculations: Monte Carlo ,Polarimeters - Abstract
Instruments flown on CubeSats are small. Meaningful applications of CubeSats in astronomical observations rely on the choice of a particular subject that is feasible for CubeSats. Here we report the result of a feasibility study for observing gamma-ray polarization from Cygnus X-1 using a small Compton polarimeter on board a 3U CubeSat. Silicon detectors and cerium bromide scintillators were employed in the instrument models that we discussed in this study. Through Monte Carlo simulations with Geant4-based MEGAlib package, we found that, with a 10-Ms on-axis, zenith-direction observation in a low inclination, low altitude earth orbit radiation background environment, the minimum detectable polarization degree can be down to about 10\% in 160 - 250 keV, 20\% in 250 - 400 keV, and 65\% in 400 - 2000 keV. A 3U CubeSat dedicated to observing Cygnus X-1 can therefore yield useful information on the polarization state of gamma-ray emissions from the brightest persistent X-ray black-hole binary in the sky., 11 pages, 7 figures, accepted on June 11, 2020, for publication in The Astronomical Journal
- Published
- 2020