High-precision X-ray polarimeter based on channel-cut crystals

We report on using synthetic silicon for a high-precision X-ray polarimeter comprising a polarizer and an analyzer, each based on a monolithic channel-cut crystal used at multiple Brewster reflections with a Bragg angle very close to 45°. Experiments were performed at the BL09B bending magnet beamline of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility using a Si(800) crystal at an X-ray energy of 12.914 keV. A polarization purity of \(8.4 \times 10^{ - 9}\) $8.4\times {10}^{-9}$ was measured. This result is encouraging, as the measured polarization purity is the best-reported value for the bending magnet source. Notably, this is the firstly systematic study on the hard X-ray polarimeter in China, which is crucial for exploring new physics, such as verifying vacuum birefringence.