Polarimetry with POLAR

Abstract

In the first half year of operation the satellite borne POLAR instrument detected a total of 55 Gamma-Ray Bursts about 10 of which were bright enough to allow for detailed polarization studies, thereby forming the start of the first Gamma-Ray Burst polarization catalog. In this paper a brief overview of the previous GRB polarization studies will be presented followed by an overview of the POLAR detector along with the first result of the in-flight performance. The detected Gamma-Ray bursts will be presented and finally prospects for polarization measurements of these events will be discussed.