“China and European Scientists Collaborate on Sensitive Space Telescope for Cosmic Explosions”

Researchers in China are partnering with European scientists to develop an exceptionally sensitive space telescope aimed at monitoring the universe’s most powerful explosions. This ambitious project, known as the Polar-2 mission, involves scientists from Switzerland, Poland, Germany, and China, with a target delivery date to China’s Tiangong space station in 2025.

Studying Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs)

The primary focus of the Polar-2 mission is to observe and study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which are high-energy bursts of light resulting from some of the most energetic cosmic events since the Big Bang. Despite being discovered more than five decades ago, GRBs remain poorly understood. Nicolas Produit, a physicist from the University of Geneva, emphasized the challenge of GRB research during the International Astronautical Congress in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 4.

One prevailing theory suggests that GRBs originate from the core of explosive events such as the birth of a black hole or the collision of dense, spinning cores of collapsed stars. However, due to the unpredictable nature of GRBs, both in terms of when and where they occur in the universe, studying them has proven to be a formidable task.

The Significance of Polar-2

The Polar-2 mission builds upon the success of its predecessor. The previous mission was a collaborative effort involving researchers from Switzerland, China, and Poland, with a focus on shedding light on the structure, magnetic fields, and emission mechanisms of GRBs. The team developed a GRB polarimeter that spent six months aboard China’s Tiangong-2 space laboratory. This device measured the rotation angle of light particles detected by a gamma-ray detector.

Polar-2: Bigger and More Sensitive

Expanding on the achievements and insights gained from the first mission, Polar-2 incorporates similar technologies but on a much larger scale. It is four times larger and ten times more sensitive than its predecessor, thanks to advancements such as silicon-based photomultiplier tubes, as highlighted by Nicolas Produit during his presentation.

Polar-2 is among seven international experiments chosen by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs to be hosted on the Tiangong space station. This collaboration represents a significant step in unraveling the mysteries of gamma-ray bursts and advancing our understanding of the cosmos.