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arxiv: 1301.1957 · v1 · pith:6VOGHTI7new · submitted 2013-01-09 · 🌌 astro-ph.HE

X-ray Polarization from Black Holes: GEMS Scientific White Paper

Jeremy Schnittman (NASA/GSFC) , Lorella Angelini (NASA/GSFC) , Matthew Baring (Rice) , Wayne Baumgartner (NASA/GSFC) , Kevin Black (NASA/GSFC) , Jessie Dotson (NASA/ARC) , Pranab Ghosh (TIFR , India)
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Alice Harding (NASA/GSFC) Joanne Hill (NASA/GSFC) Keith Jahoda (NASA/GSFC) Phillip Kaaret (U. Iowa) Tim Kallman (NASA/GSFC) Henric Krawczynski (Washington U.) Julian Krolik (JHU) Dong Lai (Cornell) Craig Markwardt (NASA/GSFC) Herman Marshall (MIT) Jeffrey Martoff (Temple) Robin Morris (NASA/ARC) Takashi Okajima (NASA/GSFC) Robert Petre (NASA/GSFC) Juri Poutanen (U. Oula Finland) Stephen Reynolds (NCSU) Jeffrey Scargle (NASA/ARC) Peter Serlemitsos (NASA/GSFC) Yang Soong (NASA/GSFC) Tod Strohmayer (NASA/GSFC) Jean Swank (NASA/GSFC) Yuzuru Tawara (Nagoya U. Japan) Toru Tamagawa (Riken U.
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classification 🌌 astro-ph.HE
keywords x-rayaccretingblackdifferentdividedgalacticgemspolarization
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We present here a summary of the scientific goals behind the Gravity and Extreme Magnetism SMEX (GEMS) X-ray polarimetry mission's black hole (BH) observing program. The primary targets can be divided into two classes: stellar-mass galactic BHs in accreting binaries, and super-massive BHs in the centers of active galactic nuclei (AGN). The stellar-mass BHs can in turn be divided into various X-ray spectral states: thermal-dominant (disk), hard (radio jet), and steep power-law (hot corona). These different spectral states are thought to be generated by different accretion geometries and emission mechanisms. X-ray polarization is an ideal tool for probing the geometry around these BHs and revealing the specific properties of the accreting gas.

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