Astronomers have measured and mapped polarized X-rays from the remains of the famous
Previous studies of Cas A with with the helpRadio telescopes have shown that radio synchrotron radiation is created in areas of almost the entire supernova remnant, and the magnetic field is oriented radially, like the spokes of a wheel, spreading from the center of the remnant to the edge. By studying the supernova with the Chandra Observatory, scientists predicted that the polarization of the X-rays would be created by magnetic fields perpendicular to the magnetic fields observed by radio telescopes.
New data shows that magnetic fieldsin X-rays they are aligned in the radial direction. X-rays are less polarized than radio observations have shown. Scientists have concluded that the X-rays come from the turbulent regions of the supernova.
This figure combines data from NASA ImagingX-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) with Chandra X-ray image (blue) and Hubble optical light image (gold) of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A).
Photo: NASA/CXC/SAO; IXPE: NASA/MSFC/J. Wink et al.
The IXPE tool was created by NASAand Italian Space Agency as part of a joint mission. It was launched on December 9, 2021. It is the first satellite that can measure X-ray polarization with this level of sensitivity and clarity.
IXPE detectors display traces of incomingx-ray radiation. Scientists can use this data to get information about the polarization of light. This way they will know what objects X-rays have passed through.
Cassiopeia A (abbreviated as Cas A) is the first object observed by IXPE after work began. The object's shock waves are among the fastest in the Milky Way.
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