AV短视频

POLAR-2

A LARGE scale detector for Gamma Ray Bursts photon polarization measurements

China Space Station (CSS)

CAD model of a POLAR-2 polarimeter module

POLAR-2 polarimeter module calibration setup at CERN

POLAR-2 SiPM array characterisation

First prototypes of POLAR-2 SiPM array readout boards

POLAR-2 Front-End Electronics mounted on its mechanical support frame

POLAR-2 spectrometer first tests

CSS Wise Block model

Paused

❮ ❯

Scientific goals of the mission

The POLAR-2 project aims to answer the most important open questions regarding the nature of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). These events are thought to be the most violent explosions in the Universe since the Big Bang. More than 50 years after their discovery, they remain one of the most researched topics in astrophysics and the origin of the gamma-ray emission from GRBs remains one of the most important unanswered questions in the field. This in spite of intense research by dedicated instruments over the last decades. As the research performed using the conventional methods appears to be inadequate in answering the open questions about GRBs, a novel investigation approach is required. Polarization measurements are perhaps the most promising of such novel approaches as indicated by the large number of theoretical publications devoted to the subject, highlighting their large discovery potential. The first significant set of reliable and detailed polarization measurements was produced recently by POLAR, an instrument fully dedicated to GRB polarimetry which performed data taking as the only international collaboration on the Chinese Tiangong-2 Space Lab.听

The POLAR-2 project aims to launch the next generation GRB polarimeters. This instrument is foreseen to detect approximately 250 GRBs per year and produce 30 polarization measurements per year in the 30-800 keV energy range with a precision higher or equal to those published by POLAR. POLAR-2 would furthermore be the most sensitive detector in its energy range, allowing it to observe even the weakest gamma-ray transients, such as those connected to gravitational waves, and provide triggers to other detectors, thereby increasing the scientific potential of such instruments. In addition to the most sensitive gamma-ray polarimeter ever launched the instrument will contain a set of dedicated spectrometers allowing it to perform detailed spectral and location measurements for GRBs. The POLAR-2 instrument thereby aims to not only make high energy polarization measurements a standard observable for GRB astrophysics but will also play an important role in the upcoming field of multi-messenger astrophysics.听

In summer 2019 the instrument was selected for launch to the China Space Station during early 2024 after which it is foreseen to perform data taking for at least 2 years.

POLAR-2 has the status of CERN Recognized Experiment (RE40) since March 2020.

The POLAR-2 collaboration

The construction of the POLAR-2 Detector is performed in Europe and China by the following institutes:

• , Geneva, Switzerland
• , Geneva, Switzerland
• , 艢wierk, Poland
• , Garching, Germany
• , Beijing, China

Collaborators

AV短视频 (Department for Particle and Astroparticle Physics & Observatory):

Xin Wu:听听听听 PI of the POLAR-2 project
Merlin Kole:听听听听 Project Manager
Nicolas Produit:听听听听 Head of POLAR-2 online software system
Nicolas De Angelis:听听听听 Detector module development and calibration
Franck Cadoux:听听听听 Head of POLAR-2 Mechanics
Johannes Hulsman:听听听听 Simulation development
Hancheng Li:听听听听 Post-doc at observatory for POLAR/POLAR-2

NCBJ, Poland:

Agnieszka Pollo:听听听听 Polish PI
Dominik Rybka:听听听听 Head of Back-End development and Low Votage Power Supply development
Slawomir Mianowski:听听听听 Component level irradiation tests
Adam Zadrozny:听听听听 Online software development

MPE, Germany:

Jochen Greiner:听听听听 German PI / Head of spectrometer development MPE
J. Michael Burgess:听听听听 POLAR-2 Project scientist

IHEP, China:

Shuang-Nan Zhang:听听听听 Chinese PI
Jianchao Sun:听听听听 Head of POLAR-2 acceptance test/spectrometer development IHEP
Bobing Wu:听听听听 Prof at IHEP working on POLAR/POLAR-2

Open positions

No open position for the moment.

Publications

Private space