IXPE Data ArchiveThe IXPE data are processed at MSFC after completion of a science observation and then sent to the HEASARC for archiving. After a three month checkout period, the data will be publicly available within one week of the observation completion. Note: It is still very early in the IXPE mission and flaws are being found in the processing and fixed. For each observation a readme file is being included in the archive that describe know issues with the processing for that observation. The data products are provided as event lists of processed tracks giving polarization information in sky coordinates. This processing is described in the IXPE Observatory User Guide. Also archived are the lower level event files as well as housekeeping and auxiliary data, though these are not needed for most science use cases. Note that some observations include data from a number of different time periods. It is strongly recommended that publications using IXPE data include the following acknowledgement: "This work reports observations obtained with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), a joint US (NASA) and Italian (ASI) mission, led by Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The research uses data products provided by the IXPE Science Operations Center (MSFC), using algorithms developed by the IXPE Collaboration, and distributed by the High-Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC)." IXPE Archive AccessIXPE data can be accessed through the following HEASARC multi-mission interfaces:
Latest NewsDelivery of data from IXPE's Detector Unit 2 (DU2) has resumed. The IXPE team performed an extensive recalibration campaign including 2.7 Ms of exposure on the bright X-ray binary Cyg X-2 in December 2025 and January 2026. The recalibration has successfully restored the polarization and spectral response of DU2. All data since the anomaly in April 2025 have been reprocessed and re-delivered with DU2. Data delivery for new observations now includes DU2. Users are encouraged to compare the results obtained with the different DUs and report any significant discrepancies via the IXPE Help Desk. For more information on the anomaly, please see this presentation by the IXPE SOC. The IXPE Caldb has been updated for the GPD (version 20260424) and XRT (version 20260331). Downloads are available from the IXPE Calibration page. Users can also access the HEASARC IXPE caldb via remote access. The IXPE project invites members of the community to join your colleagues in a monthly forum designed to inform the IXPE user community of analysis techniques and tools, programmatic announcements, and data processing and calibration updates. The meetings will be held virtually on the 3rd Thursday of each month (starting in April 2026) at 10:00 am US Central Time. Please register your interest by filling out this Google form. The 2026 Rossi Prize has been awarded to Henric Krawczynski of Washington University in St. Louis, for his contributions to the theory, instrumentation, and scientific interpretation of X-ray polarimetry. Henric has been involved in important discoveries with NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). He has been an IXPE collaborator since selection of the mission and is first author on IXPE's first paper on stellar-mass black holes. Congratulations Henric! The results of the IXPE Cycle 3 peer review, held 12-18 Nov 2025, have been approved. The list of recommended targets, and targets sorted by Right Ascension are now available. |
- HEASARC Director: Vacant
- NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb
- Web Curator: J.D. Myers
- Last Modified: 2-Dec-2024