First systematic experimental 2D mapping of linearly polarized $\gamma$-ray polarimetric distribution in relativistic Compton scattering

Abstract

The interaction of photons with relativistic electrons constitutes a fundamental electromagnetic process whose polarization transfer mechanics remain incompletely characterized. We report the first systematic measurement of spatial polarization distribution for $\gamma$-rays generated via \SI{45}{\degree} slant inverse Compton scattering (ICS) between linearly polarized \SI{0.117}{\eV} photons and \SI{3.5}{\GeV} electrons, performing full 2D mapping of intensity, polarization angle (AOP), and degree of polarization (DOP). Measurements reveal an asymmetric beam profile along the laser's polarization direction that resembles \SI{180}{\degree} backward ICS observations. The central beam region exhibits DOP $\approx$ 1.0 with AOP rigidly aligned at \SI{45}{\degree}, while peripheral regions display complex non-uniform polarization distributions. These findings confirm quantum electrodynamics predictions of near-complete polarization transfer along the beam axis in slant geometries, thus establishing slant scattering as a viable alternative to head-on configurations for generating high DOP $\gamma$-rays.