Feasibility studies of the polarization of photons beyond the optical wavelength regime with the J-PET detector

• Published in: The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields Particles and fields, 2018-11, Vol.78 (11), p.970-970, Article 970
• Main Authors: Moskal, P., Krawczyk, N., Hiesmayr, B. C., Bała, M., Curceanu, C., Czerwiński, E., Dulski, K., Gajos, A., Gorgol, M., Del Grande, R., Jasińska, B., Kacprzak, K., Kapłon, L., Kisielewska, D., Klimaszewski, K., Korcyl, G., Kowalski, P., Kozik, T., Krzemień, W., Kubicz, E., Mohammed, M., Niedźwiecki, Sz, Pałka, M., Pawlik-Niedźwiecka, M., Raczyński, L., Raj, J., Rudy, Z., Sharma, S., Silarski, M., Shivani, Shopa, R. Y., Skurzok, M., Wiślicki, W., Zgardzińska, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Astronomy; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Compton effect; Detection equipment; Elastic scattering; Elementary Particles; Feasibility studies; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Linear polarization; Measurement Science and Instrumentation; Nuclear Energy; Nuclear Physics; Photons; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Positron annihilation; Positronium; Quantum entanglement; Quantum Field Theories; Quantum Field Theory; Quantum mechanics; Quantum theory; Rangefinding; Regular - Experimental Physics; Regular Article - Experimental Physics; Scattering; Scintillation counters; String Theory
• ISSN: 1434-6044; 1434-6052
• DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-6461-1

J-PET is a detector optimized for registration of photons from the electron–positron annihilation via plastic scintillators where photons interact predominantly via Compton scattering. Registration of both primary and scattered photons enables to determinate the linear polarization of the primary photon on the event by event basis with a certain probability. Here we present quantitative results on the feasibility of such polarization measurements of photons from the decay of positronium with the J-PET and explore the physical limitations for the resolution of the polarization determination of 511 keV photons via Compton scattering. For scattering angles of about 82 ∘ (where the best contrast for polarization measurement is theoretically predicted) we find that the single event resolution for the determination of the polarization is about 40 ∘ (predominantly due to properties of the Compton effect). However, for samples larger than ten thousand events the J-PET is capable of determining relative average polarization of these photons with the precision of about few degrees. The obtained results open new perspectives for studies of various physics phenomena such as quantum entanglement and tests of discrete symmetries in decays of positronium and extend the energy range of polarization measurements by five orders of magnitude beyond the optical wavelength regime.