HARPO, a gas TPC active target for high-performance $\gamma$-ray astronomy; demonstration of the polarimetry of MeV $\gamma$-rays converting to $e^+ e^-$ pair

Abstract

No $\gamma$-ray polarimeter sensitive above 1 MeV has ever flown space. $\gamma$-ray polarimetry would be a new window on the radiative processes at work in cosmic sources, processes that produce linearly polarised emission, each of which with different polarisation fractions. The HARPO Collaboration has designed, built and characterised on beam a gas-TPC active target with which we have demonstrated for the first time the polarimetry of a linearly polarised MeV $\gamma$-ray beam, from the analysis of the conversions to $e^+ e^-$ pairs.