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Apoorva Devanshi
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Indian Space Research Organisation ushered in to New Year with the successful launch of XPoSAT. The launch the of X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) marks the first space mission of 2024. It was launched from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 9.10 a.m.
After Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 this is the next significant step in the history of Indian space exploration. After the United States, India will be the second nation in the world to send a specialised astronomy observatory to study black holes and neutron stars in our galaxy thanks to this satellite.
It contains two main payloads in the Low Earth Orbit-
Polarisation refers to the orientation of light waves. This includes X-Rays which are a form of electromagnetic radiations.
During its five years in space the satellite will measure polarisation. This will help in understanding the geometry and radiation mechanism of celestial sources. Furthermore, the measurement of polarimetry takes into account both the angle and the degree of polarization. Thus, making it an excellent diagnostic tool for comprehending the emission processes from astronomical sources. It expected to break many theoretical models of astronomical emission processes.
The post Bharat Ushers In New Year With XPoSAT Launch! appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
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After Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 this is the next significant step in the history of Indian space exploration. After the United States, India will be the second nation in the world to send a specialised astronomy observatory to study black holes and neutron stars in our galaxy thanks to this satellite.
XPoSAT Payloads-
It contains two main payloads in the Low Earth Orbit-
- XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing)- It is created by ISRO’s U.R Satellite Centre. It will provide spectroscopic data within 0.8–15 keV energy range.
- POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays)- Developed by Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru. It measures the degree and angle of Polarisation in medium range X-Rays of 8-30 keV.
- PSLV C58 will launch it in space.
Significance-
Polarisation refers to the orientation of light waves. This includes X-Rays which are a form of electromagnetic radiations.
During its five years in space the satellite will measure polarisation. This will help in understanding the geometry and radiation mechanism of celestial sources. Furthermore, the measurement of polarimetry takes into account both the angle and the degree of polarization. Thus, making it an excellent diagnostic tool for comprehending the emission processes from astronomical sources. It expected to break many theoretical models of astronomical emission processes.
Objectives-
- The 50 brightest known sources in the universe, such as pulsars, active galactic nuclei, black hole X-ray binaries, and non-thermal supernova remnants, will be studied by XPoSat.
- The POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) will examine 40 distinct categories of bright astronomical sources. X-ray pulsars, black hole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron stars, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and magnetars will all be studied by XSPECT.
- To investigate and verify whether X-ray production originates from the outer cap of the pulsar magnetosphere or the polar cap of a neutron star.
- To distinguish the dominance of the synchrotron mechanism over thermal emission in the remnants of supernovae.
- The composition, geometry, and beaming mechanism of the X-ray magnetic field of neutron stars, as well as its relationship to the mass and luminosity of powered pulsars.
- To measure the degree of polarization and its angle in order to study the distribution of the magnetic field, geometric anisotropies, alignment with respect to line of sight, and nature of accelerator in galactic cosmic X-ray sources.
The post Bharat Ushers In New Year With XPoSAT Launch! appeared first on The Jaipur Dialogues.
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