Context: Recently, ISRO has successfully launched its maiden X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
India Launches XPoSat: Third Space Observatory in Orbit
- XPoSat is India’s third space-based observatory after the solar mission Aditya-L1 and AstroSat.
- After injection of XPOSAT, the PSLV Orbital Experimental Module-3 (POEM-3) experiment will be executed.
About PSLV Orbital Experimental Module (POEM)
- PS4 stage is configured as a 3-axis stabilized Orbital platform for conducting experiments to space qualify systems with novel ideas.
- One of the technologies on-board is the fuel cell power system designed by ISRO, a precursor to future power systems for space stations.
- After injecting XPoSat in its orbit, the fourth stage of the launch vehicle will reduce the orbit into 350 km circular orbit to maintain in 3-axis stabilized mode for Orbital Platform (OP) experiments.
- The orbital platform consists of Avionic systems to take care of Navigation, Guidance, Control & telecommands and Orbital Platform Attitude Control System to cater to control of the platform to test the payloads.
- Experiments:
- One of the experiments is the Women Engineered Satellite (WESAT) to study the comparison between solar irradiance and UV index.
- Other experiments include a radiation shielding experiment, an amateur radio, three propulsion systems by space start-ups, a silicon-based high energy cell etc.
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About XPoSat Mission
- Key Objectives:
- To measure polarisation of X-rays emanating from about 50 potential cosmic sources through Thomson Scattering by POLIX payload.
- To carry out long term spectral and temporal studies of cosmic X-ray sources by XSPECT payload.To carry out polarisation and spectroscopic measurements of X-ray emissions from cosmic sources by POLIX and XSPECT payloads respectively in the common energy band.
- To study black holes and neutron stars in Space.
Black Hole
- Definition: A black hole is a region of space where matter has collapsed in on itself. The gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.
- Genesis: Black holes emerge from the explosive demise of certain large stars.
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- Payloads: It comprises two payloads:
- X-ray Polarimeter (POLIX): POLIX is expected to observe about 40 bright astronomical sources of different categories during the planned lifetime of XPoSat mission of about 5 years.
- X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing (XSPECT): It can provide fast timing and good spectroscopic resolution in soft X-rays.
- XSPECT would observe several types of sources viz X-ray pulsars, blackhole binaries, low-magnetic field neutron star (NS) in LMXBs, AGNs and Magnetars.
- Significance of Mission: India has become the 2nd country in the world after the United States to send a specialized astronomy observatory to study black holes and neutron stars in our galaxy.
- NASA launched Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in 2021.
About Polarization
- It refers to the orientation of oscillation of electromagnetic waves.
- For X-rays, it describes the direction in which the electric field associated with the X-ray wave oscillates.
Polarization of Astronomical X-Rays
- It is a method of imaging and studying astronomical phenomena, studying the fluctuations in light from a source, and the energy radiated by the celestial bodies.
Applications
- X-Ray polarization serves as a crucial diagnostic tool for examining the radiation mechanism and geometry of celestial sources.
- The radiation mechanism from various astronomical sources such as black holes, neutron stars, active galactic nuclei, pulsar wind nebulae etc. originates from complex physical processes and are challenging to understand.
- Analyzing X-Ray polarization signatures enables measurements of the mass and spin of accreting black holes.
Continue Reading: PSLV-C58 / XPoSat Mission
News Source: Newsonair
January 2, 2024