The future of X-ray polarimetry towards the 3-dimensional photoelectron track reconstruction

Abstract

The development of the first X-ray polarimeter, based on the photoelectric effect 20 years ago and implemented thanks to advances in gas amplification structures and readout techniques, had a significant impact in opening a new window for X-ray polarimetry. This system measures the X-ray polarization by reconstructing the initial direction of the photoelectron, emitted by the interaction of an incident photon with an atomic electron, in a gas mixture from an ionization track collected on a two-dimensional plane. However, actual X-ray polarimeters, are still requiring relatively long exposure time and cannot coupled with high effective area mirrors or concentrators. In this context, the high yield polarimetry experiment in X-rays (Hype-X) project is currently underway, aiming to improve the sensitivity of the next generation X-ray polarimetry detectors taking advantage of the recent advancements in imaging techniques for high-resolution time projection chambers. In particular, we are evaluating the use of TIMEPIX3 to be applied for the read-out of a gas detector, which will allow us to obtain a three-dimensional image of the photoelectron track. To evaluate the improvement achievable by using a 3D track reconstruction, in this paper, we have reproduced a three-dimensional photoelectron track from a `Geant4' Monte Carlo simulation and examined the sensitivity of X-ray polarimetry using a new three-dimensional track reconstruction algorithm. We report the improvement of the modulation factor with three-dimensional track reconstruction as ∼5% (relative) in the 2–8 keV range and ∼17% (relative) in the 2–4 keV range compared to the current two-dimensional polarimetry system. This is equivalent to add a further telescope to the three-telescope systems now employed in space on board the IXPE mission.