Towards imaging-spectro-polarimetry of solar flares in the x-rays

Studying solar flares, Solar Energetic Particles events, and Coronal Mass Ejections is important for heliophysics and Space Weather investigations. X-ray polarimetry allows us to evaluate the directivity of electrons and the structure of magnetic fields by observing X-rays and the resulting polarization related to the line-of-sight direction and magnetic field orientation. Several space missions have attempted to measure the polarization of solar flares at high energy levels. New polarimetric missions based on CubeSat have been proposed for the near future. This work discusses the possibility of adding imaging capability to solar flare X-ray polarimetry using GridPix technology equipped with TimePix3/4 ASICs coupled to X-ray optics. Lobster-eye optics design can capture the image of the entire Sun disc in a wide field of view at high energy levels ranging from 10 to 30 keV. Due to the large flux of solar flares, the high-count rate produced by such a configuration could be managed thanks to the fast TimePix3/4 ASICs characterized by a very low dead time.