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Q:
What kind of polarization do X-rays have, linear or
circular?
A:
X-rays, like other forms of electromagnetic radiation, can be
unpolarized or have linear, circular or elliptical polarization,
depending on the conditions under which they are produced. For
example, polarized X-rays are expected from accretion disks
around black holes, as well as from matter funneling onto the
surface of a highly magnetized neutron star. Unfortunately,
neither Chandra nor XMM-Newton has an X-ray polarimeter on
board.
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