A pixel-by-pixel equalization method for the x-ray imaging polarimeter on board the IXPE mission

John Rankin; Fabio Muleri; Enrico Costa; Alessandro Di Marco; Sergio Fabiani; Fabio La Monaca; Paolo Soffitta; Luca Baldini; Alberto Manfreda; Stephen L. O'Dell; Matteo Perri; Simonetta Puccetti; Brian D. Ramsey; Carmelo Sgrò; Allyn F. Tennant; Martin C. Weisskopf

doi:10.1117/12.2630042

31 August 2022 A pixel-by-pixel equalization method for the x-ray imaging polarimeter on board the IXPE mission

John Rankin, Fabio Muleri, Enrico Costa, Alessandro Di Marco, Sergio Fabiani, Fabio La Monaca, Paolo Soffitta, Luca Baldini, Alberto Manfreda, Stephen L. O'Dell, Matteo Perri, Simonetta Puccetti, Brian D. Ramsey, Carmelo Sgrò, Allyn F. Tennant, Martin C. Weisskopf

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12181, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray; 1218156 (2022) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630042
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2022, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Conference Poster

Abstract

On December 9, 2021, the imaging x-ray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) observatory was launched, carrying three x-ray polarimeters based upon the gas pixel detector (GPD). These devices measure the photoelectron’s ionization track following absorption of an x-ray, from which the photoelectron’s initial direction (correlated to the polarization position angle) is determined. Here we describe a method for event-by-event correction of pixel-by-pixel gain variations, which are found to be +/-20%, by comparing the charge in each pixel with the average at the same relative position inside tracks of the same shape. Using the large dataset acquired during on-ground calibration of the IXPE detectors, we have individually calibrated each of the 300×352 pixels of each detector’s ASIC. We discuss the performance improvements obtained using this method, which may be relevant to other instruments that detect individual events through images.

Citation Download Citation

John Rankin, Fabio Muleri, Enrico Costa, Alessandro Di Marco, Sergio Fabiani, Fabio La Monaca, Paolo Soffitta, Luca Baldini, Alberto Manfreda, Stephen L. O'Dell, Matteo Perri, Simonetta Puccetti, Brian D. Ramsey, Carmelo Sgrò, Allyn F. Tennant, and Martin C. Weisskopf "A pixel-by-pixel equalization method for the x-ray imaging polarimeter on board the IXPE mission", Proc. SPIE 12181, Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2022: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray, 1218156 (31 August 2022); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2630042

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available