Vol 6, No S1

GRAPE - A Balloon-Borne Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment

P. F. Bloser, J. S. Legere, J. R. Macri, M. L. McConnell, T. Narita, J. M. Ryan

Abstract

Abstract This paper reviews the development status of GRAPE (the Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment), a hard X-ray Compton Polarimeter. The purpose of GRAPE is to measure the polarization of hard X-rays in the 50–300 keV energy range. We are particularly interested in X-rays that are emitted from solar flares and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), although GRAPE could also be employed in the study of other astrophysical sources. Accurately measuring the polarization of the emitted radiation will lead to a better understating of both emission mechanisms and source geometries. The GRAPE design consists of an array of plastic scintillators surrounding a central high-z crystal scintillator. The azimuthal distribution of photon scatters from the plastic array into the central calorimeter provides a measure of the polarization fraction and polarization angle of the incident radiation. The design of the detector provides sensitivity over a large field-of-view (>π steradian). The design facilitates the fabrication of large area arrays with minimal deadspace. This paper presents the latest design concept and the most recent results from laboratory tests of a GRAPE science model.

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