Design, construction, and test of the Gas Pixel Detectors for the IXPE mission

Due to be launched in late 2021, the Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer
(IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization
measurements in the 2-8 keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy and
timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane is a set of three
polarization-sensitive Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD), each based on a custom ASIC
acting as a charge-collecting anode. In this paper we shall review the design,
manufacturing, and test of the IXPE focal-plane detectors, with particular
emphasis on the connection between the science drivers, the performance metrics
and the operational aspects. We shall present a thorough characterization of
the GPDs in terms of effective noise, trigger efficiency, dead time, uniformity
of response, and spectral and polarimetric performance. In addition, we shall
discuss in detail a number of instrumental effects that are relevant for
high-level science analysis -- particularly as far as the response to
unpolarized radiation and the stability in time are concerned.