The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is collaborating with the Raman Research Institute (RRI) in Bengaluru to create the X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), which is scheduled to launch later this year.
What is XPoSat?
- XPoSat’s mission is to investigate the behaviour of intense astronomical X-ray sources under severe conditions.
- It is India’s first polarimetry mission and the world’s second, following NASA’s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), which will launch in 2021.
- IXPE has three cutting-edge space telescopes to observe polarised X-rays from neutron stars and supermassive black holes, revealing insights into the light source’s shape and inner workings.
XPoSat Payloads
- In low Earth orbit, XPoSat will carry two research payloads.
- During the mission’s projected five-year lifetime, the principal payload, POLIX, will measure the polarimetry characteristics of X-rays, studying around 40 strong celestial objects from various categories.
- The XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) payload will collect spectroscopic data on how light is absorbed and released by objects, enabling for investigations of X-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron stars, and other objects.
Space X-Rays
- Space X-rays have higher energies and shorter wavelengths, ranging from 0.03 to 3 nanometers.
- Objects having temperatures in the millions of degrees Celsius, including as pulsars, galactic supernova remnants, and black holes, generate X-rays.
- Polarised light, which consists of organised moving electric and magnetic waves, is employed in X-ray investigations, and fisherman use polarised glasses to reduce glare from sunshine.
The Importance of Polarimetry
- Polarimetry is the measurement of the angle of rotation of a polarised light plane as it passes through certain transparent materials.
- POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays), designed by RRI and UR Rao Satellite Centre, will assess the degree and angle of polarisation in X-rays from astrophysical sources as the primary payload for XPoSat.
- Understanding the emission mechanisms of numerous astronomical sources is difficult, but polarimetry can help.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/everyday-explainers/xposat-india-first-polarimetry-mission-explained-isro-8630349/