_version_ 1866916903862140928
author Awaki, Hisamitsu
Baring, Matthew G.
Bose, Richard
Braun, Dana
Casey, Jacob
Chun, Sohee
Galchenko, Pavel
Gau, Ephraim
Goya, Kazuho
Hakamata, Tomohiro
Hayashi, Takayuki
Heatwole, Scott
Hu, Kun
Imazawa, Ryo
Ishi, Daiki
Ishida, Manabu
Kislat, Fabian
Kiss, Mózsi
Klepper, Kassi
Krawczynski, Henric
Kuramoto, Haruki
Lanzi, R. James
Lisalda, Lindsey
Maeda, Yoshitomo
Malmborg, Filip af
Matsumoto, Hironori
Menon, Shravan Vengalil
Miyamoto, Aiko
Miyamoto, Asca
Miyazawa, Takuya
Murakami, Kaito
Nagao, Azuki
Okajima, Takashi
Pearce, Mark
Rauch, Brian F.
Cavero, Nicole Rodriguez
Shima, Kohei
Shirahama, Kentaro
Snow, Carlton M.
Spooner, Sean
Takahashi, Hiromitsu
Takatsuka, Sayana
Tamura, Keisuke
Tanaka, Kojiro
Uchida, Yuusuke
West, Andrew Thomas
Wulf, Eric A.
Yokota, Masato
Yoshimoto, Marina
author_facet Awaki, Hisamitsu
Baring, Matthew G.
Bose, Richard
Braun, Dana
Casey, Jacob
Chun, Sohee
Galchenko, Pavel
Gau, Ephraim
Goya, Kazuho
Hakamata, Tomohiro
Hayashi, Takayuki
Heatwole, Scott
Hu, Kun
Imazawa, Ryo
Ishi, Daiki
Ishida, Manabu
Kislat, Fabian
Kiss, Mózsi
Klepper, Kassi
Krawczynski, Henric
Kuramoto, Haruki
Lanzi, R. James
Lisalda, Lindsey
Maeda, Yoshitomo
Malmborg, Filip af
Matsumoto, Hironori
Menon, Shravan Vengalil
Miyamoto, Aiko
Miyamoto, Asca
Miyazawa, Takuya
Murakami, Kaito
Nagao, Azuki
Okajima, Takashi
Pearce, Mark
Rauch, Brian F.
Cavero, Nicole Rodriguez
Shima, Kohei
Shirahama, Kentaro
Snow, Carlton M.
Spooner, Sean
Takahashi, Hiromitsu
Takatsuka, Sayana
Tamura, Keisuke
Tanaka, Kojiro
Uchida, Yuusuke
West, Andrew Thomas
Wulf, Eric A.
Yokota, Masato
Yoshimoto, Marina
contents We report measurements of the linear polarisation degree (PD) and angle (PA) for hard X-ray emission from the Crab pulsar and wind nebula. Measurements were made with the XL-Calibur ($\sim$15-80 keV) balloon-borne Compton-scattering polarimeter in July 2024. The polarisation parameters are determined using a Bayesian analysis of Stokes parameters obtained from X-ray scattering angles. Well-constrained ($\sim$8.5$σ$) results are obtained for the polarisation of the $\sim$19-64 keV signal integrated over all pulsar phases: PD=(25.1$\pm$2.9)% and PA=(129.8$\pm$3.2)$^\circ$. In the off-pulse (nebula-dominated) phase range, the PD is constrained at $\sim$4.5$σ$ and is compatible with the phase-integrated result. The PA of the nebular hard X-ray emission aligns with that measured by IXPE in the 2-8 keV band for the toroidal inner region of the pulsar wind nebula, where the hard X-rays predominantly originate. For the main pulsar peak, PD=(32.8$^{+18.2}_{-28.5}$)% and PA=(156.0 $\pm$ 21.7)$^\circ$, while for the second peak (inter-pulse), PD=(0.0$^{+33.6}_{-0.0}$)% and PA=(154.5 $\pm$ 34.5)$^\circ$. A low level of polarisation in the pulsar peaks likely does not favour emission originating from the inner regions of the pulsar magnetosphere. Discriminating between Crab pulsar emission models will require deeper observations, e.g. with a satellite-borne hard X-ray polarimeter.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_14307
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle XL-Calibur measurements of polarised hard X-ray emission from the Crab
Awaki, Hisamitsu
Baring, Matthew G.
Bose, Richard
Braun, Dana
Casey, Jacob
Chun, Sohee
Galchenko, Pavel
Gau, Ephraim
Goya, Kazuho
Hakamata, Tomohiro
Hayashi, Takayuki
Heatwole, Scott
Hu, Kun
Imazawa, Ryo
Ishi, Daiki
Ishida, Manabu
Kislat, Fabian
Kiss, Mózsi
Klepper, Kassi
Krawczynski, Henric
Kuramoto, Haruki
Lanzi, R. James
Lisalda, Lindsey
Maeda, Yoshitomo
Malmborg, Filip af
Matsumoto, Hironori
Menon, Shravan Vengalil
Miyamoto, Aiko
Miyamoto, Asca
Miyazawa, Takuya
Murakami, Kaito
Nagao, Azuki
Okajima, Takashi
Pearce, Mark
Rauch, Brian F.
Cavero, Nicole Rodriguez
Shima, Kohei
Shirahama, Kentaro
Snow, Carlton M.
Spooner, Sean
Takahashi, Hiromitsu
Takatsuka, Sayana
Tamura, Keisuke
Tanaka, Kojiro
Uchida, Yuusuke
West, Andrew Thomas
Wulf, Eric A.
Yokota, Masato
Yoshimoto, Marina
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
We report measurements of the linear polarisation degree (PD) and angle (PA) for hard X-ray emission from the Crab pulsar and wind nebula. Measurements were made with the XL-Calibur ($\sim$15-80 keV) balloon-borne Compton-scattering polarimeter in July 2024. The polarisation parameters are determined using a Bayesian analysis of Stokes parameters obtained from X-ray scattering angles. Well-constrained ($\sim$8.5$σ$) results are obtained for the polarisation of the $\sim$19-64 keV signal integrated over all pulsar phases: PD=(25.1$\pm$2.9)% and PA=(129.8$\pm$3.2)$^\circ$. In the off-pulse (nebula-dominated) phase range, the PD is constrained at $\sim$4.5$σ$ and is compatible with the phase-integrated result. The PA of the nebular hard X-ray emission aligns with that measured by IXPE in the 2-8 keV band for the toroidal inner region of the pulsar wind nebula, where the hard X-rays predominantly originate. For the main pulsar peak, PD=(32.8$^{+18.2}_{-28.5}$)% and PA=(156.0 $\pm$ 21.7)$^\circ$, while for the second peak (inter-pulse), PD=(0.0$^{+33.6}_{-0.0}$)% and PA=(154.5 $\pm$ 34.5)$^\circ$. A low level of polarisation in the pulsar peaks likely does not favour emission originating from the inner regions of the pulsar magnetosphere. Discriminating between Crab pulsar emission models will require deeper observations, e.g. with a satellite-borne hard X-ray polarimeter.
title XL-Calibur measurements of polarised hard X-ray emission from the Crab
topic High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.14307