The X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE) is a medium-size mission candidate currently under phase A study by ESA. If selected for launch in 2025, this conceptually new observatory would open a yet unexplored observational window. Aside from spectral, spatial and timing information on the X-ray intensity, I, across the 2-8 keV band, XIPE records two additional Stokes parameters, Q and U, as a function of position, photon energy and time. In this way a much wider set of observables encoded in X-ray radiation is explored and helps to break degeneracies in the X-ray modeling of a wide range of astrophysical objects.

It has been argued from theoretical considerations that X-ray radiation must be significantly polarized because it often originates in highly aspherical emission and scattering geometries or from regions with structured magnetic fields. The induced observable polarization can solve long standing problems in both astrophysics and fundamental physics: What is the structure of magnetic fields close to the site of particle acceleration in pulsar wind nebulae, supernovae or extragalactic jets? Where do the seed photons for the Comptonized emission in extra-galactic jets come from? What is the nature of the reprocessed emission we observe from the molecular clouds in the Galactic Center? What is the accretion geometry in accreting X-ray pulsars? Can the theoretically predicted QED vacuum birefringence in the atmospheres of magnetars be confirmed? What is the angular momentum of accreting black holes in X-ray binaries? Is the theory of Loop Quantum Gravity correct? Can we detect axion-like particles that would constitute dark matter?

This non-exhaustive list of questions affects a number of scientific communities. An important goal of the XIPE science conference is to bring together members of all these communities to present and discuss the scientific perspectives for XIPE and X-ray polarimetry in general. A number of invited review and contributed talks are planned focusing like-wise on observational and theoretical work. We particularly encourage interested astronomers and astrophysicist who are not yet familiar with polarimetry to join the meeting.


Science Organizing Committee: 

Soffitta Paolo (INAF-IAPS, Italy), Bellazzini Ronaldo (INFN-Pi, Italy), Bozzo Enrico (Univ. of Geneva, Switzerland), Churazov Eugene (Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Germany), Costa Enrico (INAF-IAPS, Italy), Courvoisier Thierry (Univ. of Geneva, Switzerland), Goosmann Rene (Obs. Astron. de Strasbourg, France),  Matt Giorgio (Univ. Roma 3, Italy), Reglero Victor (Univ. of Valencia, Spain), Santangelo Andrea (IAAT, Germany), Tagliaferri Gianpiero (INAF-OA Brera, Italy), Vink Jacco (Univ. of Amsterdam, The Netherlands), Zane Silvia (MSSL-UCL. United Kingdom)

Local Organizing Committe:

Victor Reglero (chair, Univ. of Valencia, Spain), Lola Sabau (INTA, Spain), Alberto Castro-Tirado (IAA, Spain), Javier Navarro (Univ. of Valencia, Spain), Juan Macian (Univ. of Valencia, Spain), Chiara Cerruti (Univ. of Valencia, Spain), Beatriz Sanchez (secretary, Univ. of Valencia, Spain)