Chinese scientists lead the detection of soft X-ray polarization from the Crab Nebula

BEIJING -- Chinese scientists and their international collaborators have detected soft X-ray polarization from the Crab Nebula with their space program PolarLight, reopening the window of soft X-ray polarimetry in astronomy after more than four decades.

The research led by Tsinghua University was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Researchers also discovered a variation of X-ray polarization right after a glitch of the Crab pulsar, suggesting that the pulsar magnetosphere may have altered after the glitch.

The PolarLight project used a soft X-ray polarimeter onboard a CubeSat, which was manufactured by a Chinese commercial space company and launched into space in 2018.

The detector developed by the research team has a small surface area, similar to the size of a matchbox. It has a designed life of five to 10 years, allowing the team to conduct long-term astronomical observations.

Feng Hua, the leading researcher, said astronomy is a field of science driven by observations. New observational techniques, also called new windows, are of essential importance.

The technique that is used in the PolarLight project will be utilized in the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission (eXTP), a China-led project to be launched in 2027 to explore mysterious celestial bodies, such as black holes and neutron stars, Feng said, adding that more fruitful scientific results are expected in this area.