PoGOLite: Opening a new window on the universe with polarized gamma-rays

PoGOLite (the Polarized Gamma-ray Observer, light-weight version) is a balloon-borne instrument that will measure the polarization of soft gamma-rays in the energy range 25–100 keV from various astronomical sources such as pulsars, active galactic nuclei, galactic X-ray binaries and accreting black holes. The polarization properties of such radiation can reveal important new information about the geometry, magnetic fields and the emission mechanisms of the observed sources. The first flight is scheduled for 2009. In this paper, we present the current state of the project.