NASA launched a new X-ray observation satellite, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), at 1:00 am on December 9, eastern US standard time. To find answers to questions such as what’s inside the black hole and how bright the pulsar is.
Launched by the Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, the XPE will be the first X-ray astronomy satellite capable of observing “polarization,” a characteristic that indicates the direction of electrical and magnetic energy in electromagnetic waves.
X-rays, which are high-energy electromagnetic waves, are especially abundant in outer space. Most of the light we usually see (electromagnetic waves in the visible region) is unpolarized, that is, it is composed of electrical and magnetic energies that do not have a certain direction. However, polarized electromagnetic waves are extremely useful because the vibration directions of the electric and magnetic fields are biased in a certain direction and provide information on the magnetic and chemical composition of the interacting substances.
Each of IXPE’s three telescopes is equipped with a set of mirrors and detectors that can track and measure the four characteristics of light: direction, arrival time, energy, and polarization, and the X-rays obtained by all of these detectors. Images can be created by combining data. Scientists believe that IXPE images can be used to improve the accuracy of theories about various environments in outer space and the celestial bodies that exist inside them.
For example, it provides new clues as to why black holes are spinning, and more information about the unique structures and properties of celestial bodies such as the famous neutron star (pulsar), which spins at high speeds in the center of the nebula. May be.
Over the next two years, IXPE will observe more than 50 of the most active and known objects in the universe, including the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way galaxy. By measuring the polarization of the X-rays emitted by these objects, more detailed observations will be possible.
“IXPE will be observing the chaotic and marvelous world of neutron and black hole star systems, as well as the interior and surroundings of the galaxy,” NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center said. Dr. Martin Weiscop, Chief Scientist of X-ray Astronomy and Senior Research Fellow at IXPE, said.
Dr. Weiskop is particularly interested in finding out if such objects have a strong magnetic field. Whether or not you have a magnetic field can be determined by other means, but using IXPE makes it easier. Meanwhile, according to Gregory Sivakov, an associate professor at the University of Alberta, the findings of IXPE could have broader implications, especially for a better understanding of black holes.
“We know that there are only three observable properties of a black hole: mass, rotation, and charge,” says Associate Professor Sivakov. “I’m particularly interested in seeing if IXPE brings a new way to measure the rotational motion of black holes and whether the rotation of black holes will change over time. I don’t know. “
Black holes make up about 40% of the dark matter in outer space, but astronomers have only recently been able to photograph them. The data obtained by IXPE will help us determine if there was a time when black holes were actively inhaling objects in their vicinity, and to study the particles around these powerful objects. It will be easier. By measuring angular momentum and rotation using X-ray polarization, it is possible to create a map of the inner edge of the material accreting on a black hole.
Supermassive black holes and neutron stars are the remains of massive stars that are active and have a short lifespan, so IXPE’s mission may give us a glimpse into how the galaxy evolves, Associate Professor Shivakov. Add.
Dr. Herman Marshall, a researcher at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a collaborator at IXPE, said that polarization observations are “invisible parts of the galaxy.” It’s like standing a mirror against. ” We hope that IXPE’s observations will unravel some of the mysteries hidden within the Milky Way galaxy.
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- As an up-and-coming journalist and fellow at the MIT Technology Review, he is in charge of coverage in the fields of space, biotechnology, and AI. Prior to participating in the MIT Technology Review, he wrote at the New York Times Student Journalism Institute and produced radio programs at WOSU-NPR. As the editor-in-chief of a university newspaper, he covered a wide range of topics from sports culture to mental health.
