Astronomical X-ray Polarimetry as a diagnostic for questions of fundamental Physics. What we learned from the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)

Abstract

X-ray Astrophysics, which addresses extreme physics in extreme conditions, is particularly well suited for answering questions related to known physics. Reversely tiny effects, but integrated along sidereal distances, allow to probe extensions of known physics or even new physics. The new window into polarimetry in this energy band, opened by the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) a NASA-ASI Small Explorer mission launched on 9th December 2021 enables an entirely novel approach, whether used alone or in combination with standard observables such as light curves and spectra and with data in other wavelengths. In this paper, we review IXPE's results after nearly three years of successful operation, focusing on their implications for key questions in Fundamental Physics.