Relativistic jets in the era of X-ray polarimetry
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Measuring X-ray polarization has been a major goal in astrophysics for the last 40 years. With the launch of NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in December 2021, soft X-ray polarimetry (1-10 keV) is now possible. In this thesis, I introduce an optimal signal extraction method for X-ray polarimeters based on gas pixel detectors. Using IXPE's thus improved sensitivity, I make progress towards identifying the high-energy emission processes and magnetic field geometries responsible for radiation in blazar jets. First, I develop a simulation-based inference framework for measuring X-ray polarization as a function of time, energy, and position in gas pixel detectors, proving that for a fixed model budget the framework is optimal. Second, I propose a simple geometrical jet model to study the polarization properties of leptonic blazar jets, including their observed EVPA rotations and their detection prospects with IXPE. Finally, I interpret IXPE's measurements of BL Lacertae across the synchro-Compton transition region to suggest leptonic-dominated emission processes in blazars, and of Mrk 421 to provide evidence for helical magnetic fields as the source of EVPA rotations.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2023; ©2023 |
| Publication date | 2023; 2023 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Peirson V, Abel Lawrence |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Romani, Roger W. (Roger William) |
| Thesis advisor | Romani, Roger W. (Roger William) |
| Thesis advisor | Blandford, Roger D |
| Thesis advisor | Michelson, Peter F |
| Degree committee member | Blandford, Roger D |
| Degree committee member | Michelson, Peter F |
| Associated with | Stanford University, School of Humanities and Sciences |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Physics |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Abel Lawrence Peirson V. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Physics. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2023. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/sp692nf3212 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2023 by Abel Lawrence Peirson V
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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