Mark Pearce

We present updated hard X-ray polarization measurements of the Crab pulsar and nebula obtained with the balloon-borne polarimeter XL-Calibur in the ∼19–64 keV energy range. During the flight, intermittent failure of the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver resulted in poorly constrained timing for ∼38% of the Crab dataset. By implementing a new phase recovery method that reconstructs timing during extended GPS-off intervals, phase tag data are recovered for ∼95% of the GPS-off dataset, increasing the precision of the phase-resolved analysis. Phase information for the data is recovered by using the Crab pulsar, with its 33 ms period, as an external timing source. Using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework to jointly fit phase offsets and frequency derivatives, sufficient phase accuracy is achieved across multiple periods without GPS for a phase-resolved analysis. This enables inclusion of nearly the full dataset in the polarization study. The polarization degree of the nebular emission is found to be (27.7 ± 4.9)% at a polarization angle of 127 . ° 2 ± 5 . ° 1, confirming previous XL-Calibur results and remaining aligned with the Crab’s spin axis, consistent with synchrotron emission from the inner nebula. Phase-resolved measurements show that the off-pulse and bridge intervals exhibit a strong polarization, while the pulsar peaks, although weakly constrained, remain in agreement with the softer-energy trends of IXPE. These findings reinforce a scenario in which hard X-ray emission arises primarily in the nebular torus and wind regions. The successful recovery of precise phase tagging from GPS-off data demonstrates the capacity to use the pulsar as an external clock even in the case of sparsely populated data.

COMCUBE-S (Compton Telescope CubeSat Swarm) is a proposed mission aimed at understanding the radiation mechanisms of ultra-relativistic jets from Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). It consists of a swarm of 16U CubeSats carrying a state-of-the-art Compton polarimeter and a bismuth germanium oxide (BGO) spectrometer to perform timing, spectroscopic and polarimetric measurements of the prompt emission from GRBs. The mission is currently in a feasibility study phase (Phase A) with the European Space Agency to prepare an in-orbit demonstration. Here, we present the simulation work used to optimise the design and operational concept of the microsatellite constellation, as well as estimate the mission performance in terms of GRB detection rate and polarimetry. We used the MEGAlib software to simulate the response function of the gamma-ray instruments, together with a detailed model for the background particle and radiation fluxes in low-Earth orbit. We also developed a synthetic GRB population model to best estimate the detection rate. These simulations show that COMCUBE-S will detect about 2 GRBs per day, which is significantly higher than that of all past and current GRB missions. Furthermore, simulated performance for linear polarisation measurements shows that COMCUBE-S will be able to uniquely distinguish between competing models of the GRB prompt emission, thereby shedding new light on some of the most fundamental aspects of GRB physics.

The balloon-borne hard X-ray polarimetry mission XL-Calibur observed the black hole X-ray binary (BHXRB) Cygnus X-1 (Cyg X-1) during its nearly 6 day long-duration balloon flight from Sweden to Canada in 2024 July. The XL-Calibur observations allowed us to derive the most precise constraints to date of the polarization degree (PD) and polarization angle (PA) of the hard X-ray emission from a BHXRB. XL-Calibur observed Cyg X-1 in the hard state and measured a ∼19–64 keV PD of ( 5 . 0 − 3.0 + 2.7 )% (equivalent to an upper limit, at the 99% level, of 11.1%) at a PA of −28° ± 17°, with an 8.7% chance probability of detecting larger PDs than the one observed, given an unpolarized signal. The XL-Calibur results are thus comparable to the 2–8 keV PD and PA found by Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), with a similar agreement between the hard X-ray PA and the radio jet direction. We also discuss the implications of our polarization measurements in the context of models describing the origin of the broadband X-ray and γ -ray emission, to which XL-Calibur provides independent constraints on any proposed emission modeling.

The Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) has confirmed that X-ray polarimetry is a valuable tool in astronomy, providing critical insights into the emission processes and the geometry of compact objects. IXPE was designed to be sensitive in the 2–8 keV energy range for three primary reasons: (1) celestial X-ray sources are bright within this range, (2) the optics are effective, and (3) most sources across various classes were expected to exhibit some level of polarization. Indeed, IXPE is a great success, and its discoveries are necessitating the revision of many theoretical models for numerous sources. However, one of IXPE’s main limitations is its relatively narrow energy band, coupled with rapidly declining efficiency. In this paper, we will demonstrate the benefits of devising a mission focused on a broader energy band (0.1–79 keV). This approach leverages current technologies that align well with theoretical expectations and builds on the successes of IXPE.