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

P. Moskal; N. Krawczyk; B. C. Hiesmayr; M. Bała; C. Curceanu; E. Czerwiński; K. Dulski; A. Gajos; M. Gorgol; R. Del Grande; B. Jasińska; K. Kacprzak; L. Kapłon; D. Kisielewska; K. Klimaszewski; G. Korcyl; P. Kowalski; T. Kozik; W. Krzemień; E. Kubicz; M. Mohammed; Sz. Niedźwiecki; M. Pałka; M. Pawlik-Niedźwiecka; L. Raczyński; J. Raj; Z. Rudy; S. Sharma; M. Silarski; Shivani; R. Y. Shopa; M. Skurzok; W. Wiślicki; B. Zgardzińska

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-6461-1

2021 Impact factor 4.991

Particles and Fields

Open Access

Eur. Phys. J. C (2018) 78: 970
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-018-6461-1

Regular Article - Experimental Physics

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

P. Moskal¹, N. Krawczyk¹, B. C. Hiesmayr², M. Bała¹, C. Curceanu³, E. Czerwiński¹^*, K. Dulski¹, A. Gajos¹, M. Gorgol⁴, R. Del Grande³, B. Jasińska⁴, K. Kacprzak¹, L. Kapłon¹, D. Kisielewska¹, K. Klimaszewski⁵, G. Korcyl¹, P. Kowalski⁵, T. Kozik¹, W. Krzemień⁶, E. Kubicz¹, M. Mohammed¹^,7, Sz. Niedźwiecki¹, M. Pałka¹, M. Pawlik-Niedźwiecka¹, L. Raczyński⁵, J. Raj¹, Z. Rudy¹, S. Sharma¹, M. Silarski¹, Shivani¹, R. Y. Shopa⁵, M. Skurzok¹, W. Wiślicki⁵ and B. Zgardzińska⁴

¹ Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348, Kraków, Poland
² Faculty of Physics, University of Vienna, Boltzmanngasse 5, 1090, Vienna, Austria
³ Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati CP 13, INFN, Via E. Fermi 40, 00044, Frascati, Italy
⁴ Department of Nuclear Methods, Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Sklodowskiej 1, 20-031, Lublin, Poland
⁵ Świerk Computing Centre, National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400, Otwock-Świerk, Poland
⁶ High Energy Department, National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400, Otwock-Świerk, Poland
⁷ Department of Physics, College of Education for Pure Sciences, University of Mosul, Mosul, Iraq

^* e-mail: eryk.czerwinski@uj.edu.pl

Received: 23 September 2018
Accepted: 14 November 2018
Published online: 24 November 2018

Abstract

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.