About IXPEIXPE's two-year baseline IXPE mission will measure the x-ray polarization of cosmic sources, using three identical telescopes, each comprising an x-ray mirror assembly and a polarization-sensitive detector. The mission, a collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), is led by the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Martin C. Weisskopf at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). MSFC manages the project and is responsible for the x-ray optics and the Science Operations Center (SOC). Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) are responsible for the x-ray instrument. Ball Aerospace is the primary industry partner, responsible for the spacecraft, integration, and testing, as well as managing the Mission Operations Center (MOC) at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP). In addition to funding the Instrument at INAF, INFN, and industrial partner OHB-Italia, ASI provides IXPE use of its Malindi ground station and software support by its Space Science Data Center (SSDC). The SOC will archive IXPE science data products at the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), for release to the international scientific community. The IXPE Science Team comprises investigators from MSFC, INAF, INFN, and three universities --- Roma Tre University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology --- plus over 80 collaborators from more than a dozen countries. During the first two years of the mission, the IXPE Science Team develops and executes the IXPE observing program. If the mission extends beyond two years, the HEASARC will administer a General Observer (GO) program for IXPE. IXPE scienceIXPE accomplishes new science with new capabilities
IXPE observatory![]() IXPE mirrors
The polarization sensitive detectors
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Latest NewsIXPE made the cover of the October 2024 edition of Galaxies with a paper on probing magnetic fields in young supernova remnants with IXPE by Pat Slane et al. The work explore how X-ray polarimetry using IXPE provides insights into magnetic field structures and particle acceleration mechanisms in young supernova remnants. This article belongs to a special issue of the journal titled "X-Ray Polarimetry: A New Era Begins with the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer" HEASoft 6.34 has been released and contains updates to the IXPE software tools. This release also includes a new tool for flagging background events. Please see the release notes for more details. Downloads are available from the HEASoft page. IXPE users are recommended to use the latest version of HEASoft for their analysis. The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20240726). Please see the release notes for details. Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access. The IXPE Quick Start guide has been updated to include the use of the ixpecalcarf tool to generate observation specific response files. The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the XRT (version 20231201) and the GPD (version 20240125). Please see the release notes for details. Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access. |