Sample records for xmm-newton science archive

  1. The XMM-Newton Science Archive and its integration into ESASky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loiseau, N.; Baines, D.; Colomo, E.; Giordano, F.; Merín, B.; Racero, E.; Rodríguez, P.; Salgado, J.; Sarmiento, M.

    2017-07-01

    We describe the variety of functionalities of the XSA (XMM-Newton Science Archive) that allow to search and access the XMM-Newton data and catalogues. The web interface http://nxsa.esac.esa.int/ is very flexible allowing different kinds of searches by a single position or target name, or by a list of targets, with several selecting options (target type, text in the abstract, etc.), and with several display options. The resulting data can be easily broadcast to Virtual Observatory (VO) facilities for a first look analysis, or for cross-matching the results with info from other observatories. Direct access via URL or command line are also possible for scripts usage, or to link XMM-Newton data from other interfaces like Vizier, ADS, etc. The full metadata content of the XSA can be queried through the TAP (Table access Protocol) via ADQL (Astronomical Data Query Language). We present also the roadmap for future improvements of the XSA including the integration of the Upper Limit server, the on-the-fly data analysis, and the interactive visualization of EPIC sources spectra and light curves and RGS spectra, among other advanced features. Within this modern visualization philosophy XSA is also being integrated into ESASky (http://sky.esa.int). ESASky is the science-driven multi-wavelength discovery portal for all the ESA Astronomy Missions (Integral, HST, Herschel, Suzaku, Planck, etc.), and other space and ground telescope data. The system offers progressive multi-resolution all-sky projections of full mission datasets using HiPS, a new generation of HEALPix projections developed by CDS, precise footprints to connect to individual observations, and direct access to science-ready data from the underlying mission specific science archives. XMM-Newton EPIC and OM all-sky HiPS maps, catalogues and links to the observations are available through ESASky.

  2. An XMM-Newton Science Archive for next decade, and its integration into ESASky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loiseau, N.; Baines, D.; Rodriguez, P.; Salgado, J.; Sarmiento, M.; Colomo, E.; Merin, B.; Giordano, F.; Racero, E.; Migliari, S.

    2016-06-01

    We will present a roadmap for the next decade improvements of the XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA), as planned for an always faster and more user friendly access to all XMM-Newton data. This plan includes the integration of the Upper Limit server, an interactive visualization of EPIC and RGS spectra, on-the-fly data analysis, among other advanced features. Within this philosophy XSA is also being integrated into ESASky, the science-driven discovery portal for all the ESA Astronomy Missions. A first public beta release of the ESASky service has been already released at the end of 2015. It is currently featuring an interface for exploration of the multi-wavelength sky and for single and/or multiple target searches of science-ready data. The system offers progressive multi-resolution all-sky projections of full mission datasets using a new generation of HEALPix projections called HiPS, developed at the CDS; detailed geometrical footprints to connect the all-sky mosaics to individual observations; and direct access to science-ready data at the underlying mission-specific science archives. New XMM-Newton EPIC and OM all-sky HiPS maps, catalogues and links to the observations are available through ESASky, together with INTEGRAL, HST, Herschel, Planck and other future data.

  3. XMM-Newton On-demand Reprocessing Using SaaS Technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; Fajersztejn, N.; Loiseau, N.; Gabriel, C.

    2014-05-01

    We present here the architectural design of the new on-the-fly reprocessing capabilities that will be soon developed and implemented in the new XMM-Newton Science Operation Centre. The inclusion of processing capabilities into the archive, as we plan, will be possible thanks to the recent refurbishment of the XMM-Newton science archive, its alignment with the latest web technologies and the XMM-Newton Remote Interface for Science Analysis (RISA), a revolutionary idea of providing processing capabilities through internet services.

  4. XMM-Newton publication statistics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ness, J.-U.; Parmar, A. N.; Valencic, L. A.; Smith, R.; Loiseau, N.; Salama, A.; Ehle, M.; Schartel, N.

    2014-02-01

    We assessed the scientific productivity of XMM-Newton by examining XMM-Newton publications and data usage statistics. We analyse 3272 refereed papers, published until the end of 2012, that directly use XMM-Newton data. The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) was used to provide additional information on each paper including the number of citations. For each paper, the XMM-Newton observation identifiers and instruments used to provide the scientific results were determined. The identifiers were used to access the XMM-{Newton} Science Archive (XSA) to provide detailed information on the observations themselves and on the original proposals. The information obtained from these sources was then combined to allow the scientific productivity of the mission to be assessed. Since around three years after the launch of XMM-Newton there have been around 300 refereed papers per year that directly use XMM-Newton data. After more than 13 years in operation, this rate shows no evidence that it is decreasing. Since 2002, around 100 scientists per year become lead authors for the first time on a refereed paper which directly uses XMM-Newton data. Each refereed XMM-Newton paper receives around four citations per year in the first few years with a long-term citation rate of three citations per year, more than five years after publication. About half of the articles citing XMM-Newton articles are not primarily X-ray observational papers. The distribution of elapsed time between observations taken under the Guest Observer programme and first article peaks at 2 years with a possible second peak at 3.25 years. Observations taken under the Target of Opportunity programme are published significantly faster, after one year on average. The fraction of science time taken until the end of 2009 that has been used in at least one article is {˜ 90} %. Most observations were used more than once, yielding on average a factor of two in usage on available observing time per year. About 20 % of

  5. XMM-Newton Remote Interface to Science Analysis Software: First Public Version

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; Gabriel, C.

    2011-07-01

    We present the first public beta release of the XMM-Newton Remote Interface to Science Analysis (RISA) software, available through the official XMM-Newton web pages. In a nutshell, RISA is a web based application that encapsulates the XMM-Newton data analysis software. The client identifies observations and creates XMM-Newton workflows. The server processes the client request, creates job templates and sends the jobs to a computer. RISA has been designed to help, at the same time, non-expert and professional XMM-Newton users. Thanks to the predefined threads, non-expert users can easily produce light curves and spectra. And on the other hand, expert user can use the full parameter interface to tune their own analysis. In both cases, the VO compliant client/server design frees the users from having to install any specific software to analyze XMM-Newton data.

  6. The XMM-Newton serendipitous survey. VII. The third XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosen, S. R.; Webb, N. A.; Watson, M. G.; Ballet, J.; Barret, D.; Braito, V.; Carrera, F. J.; Ceballos, M. T.; Coriat, M.; Della Ceca, R.; Denkinson, G.; Esquej, P.; Farrell, S. A.; Freyberg, M.; Grisé, F.; Guillout, P.; Heil, L.; Koliopanos, F.; Law-Green, D.; Lamer, G.; Lin, D.; Martino, R.; Michel, L.; Motch, C.; Nebot Gomez-Moran, A.; Page, C. G.; Page, K.; Page, M.; Pakull, M. W.; Pye, J.; Read, A.; Rodriguez, P.; Sakano, M.; Saxton, R.; Schwope, A.; Scott, A. E.; Sturm, R.; Traulsen, I.; Yershov, V.; Zolotukhin, I.

    2016-05-01

    Context. Thanks to the large collecting area (3 ×~1500 cm2 at 1.5 keV) and wide field of view (30' across in full field mode) of the X-ray cameras on board the European Space Agency X-ray observatory XMM-Newton, each individual pointing can result in the detection of up to several hundred X-ray sources, most of which are newly discovered objects. Since XMM-Newton has now been in orbit for more than 15 yr, hundreds of thousands of sources have been detected. Aims: Recently, many improvements in the XMM-Newton data reduction algorithms have been made. These include enhanced source characterisation and reduced spurious source detections, refined astrometric precision of sources, greater net sensitivity for source detection, and the extraction of spectra and time series for fainter sources, both with better signal-to-noise. Thanks to these enhancements, the quality of the catalogue products has been much improved over earlier catalogues. Furthermore, almost 50% more observations are in the public domain compared to 2XMMi-DR3, allowing the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre to produce a much larger and better quality X-ray source catalogue. Methods: The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre has developed a pipeline to reduce the XMM-Newton data automatically. Using the latest version of this pipeline, along with better calibration, a new version of the catalogue has been produced, using XMM-Newton X-ray observations made public on or before 2013 December 31. Manual screening of all of the X-ray detections ensures the highest data quality. This catalogue is known as 3XMM. Results: In the latest release of the 3XMM catalogue, 3XMM-DR5, there are 565 962 X-ray detections comprising 396 910 unique X-ray sources. Spectra and lightcurves are provided for the 133 000 brightest sources. For all detections, the positions on the sky, a measure of the quality of the detection, and an evaluation of the X-ray variability is provided, along with the fluxes and count rates in 7 X-ray energy

  7. On-the-fly Data Reprocessing and Analysis Capabilities from the XMM-Newton Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; Sarmiento, M.; Colomo, E.; Loiseau, N.; Salgado, J.; Gabriel, C.

    2017-10-01

    The XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA) includes since last release the possibility to perform on-the-fly data processing with SAS through the Remote Interface for Science Analysis (RISA) server. It enables scientists to analyse data without any download and installation of data and software. The analysis options presently available include extraction of spectra and light curves of user-defined EPIC source regions and full reprocessing of data for which currently archived pipeline products were processed with older SAS versions or calibration files. The current pipeline is fully aligned with the most recent SAS and calibration, while the last full reprocessing of the archive was performed in 2013. The on-the-fly data processing functionality in this release is an experimental version and we invite the community to test and let us know their results. Known issues and workarounds are described in the 'Watchouts' section of the XSA web page. Feedback on how this functionality should evolve will be highly appreciated.

  8. Eye-openers from XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2000-02-01

    orders' of the instrument. Emission lines appear as distinct features in the rainbow of X-ray colours, acting as signatures that reveal a great deal of information to astronomers. The RGS spectra of HR 1099 are examples. The graphs display peaks or lines that correspond to the various elements present in the source. One can distinguish for instance the presence of different types of iron, oxygen carbon and neon. From the analysis of this data one can deduce the temperatures, densities, abundances and velocities of the different materials. "Firstly, the nice separation of the two spectral order bands shows the resolution of the RGS CCDs is well up to expectations" comments Bert Brinkman, RGS Principal Investigator. "For the spectrometers as a whole, the resolution which is of prime importance, is exactly or marginally better than what we expected after the ground calibrations. The instruments promise a lot for the future." All the images reveal hitherto unknown X-ray sources. Faint point sources barely perceptible with previous X-ray space telescopes appear in all their splendour. Understanding everything they show is somewhat premature since the XMM-Newton instruments have yet to be calibrated. XMM Project Scientist Fred Jansen says: "As these are the very first astronomical data and we are already observing lots of new science, XMM-Newton holds a very clear promise for an exciting and scientific future." ESA's Director of Science Prof. Roger Bonnet is equally impressed. "I am amazed by the quality of the pictures as compared to previous X-ray missions. We see on them a lot of new sources, especially in the parts of the spectrum which correspond to the hottest temperatures and we see that the Universe is hotter than we thought and that many new sources are appearing. We are very hopeful that many more objects will be discovered and that by extending the temperature measurements of the Universe to many objects, we will have a much better picture of the history and the

  9. EXTraS unveils a supernova shock break-out candidate in XMM-Newton archival data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tiengo, A.; Novara, G.; Lisini, G.; De Luca, A.; Salvaterra, R.; Belfiore, A.; Marelli, M.; Salvetti, D.; Mereghetti, S.; Vianello, G.

    2017-10-01

    During the search for short X-ray transients within the Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky (EXTraS) project, we discovered a new X-ray source that can be detected only in a ˜5 minutes interval of a ˜21 hours long XMM-Newton observation. Thanks to dedicated follow-up observations, we found that its position is consistent with a galaxy at redshift z=0.092. At this redshift, the transient released 2×10^{46} erg in the 0.3-10 keV energy band. Its luminosity and spectral and timing properties make it an analogue of the X-ray transient associated to SN2008, detected by Swift/XRT during an observation of the nearby supernova-rich galaxy NGC 2770. The discovery of this much more distant transient in a field galaxy during a systematic analysis of the full XMM-Newton archive allows us to better constrain the rate of these rare events.

  10. The XMM-Newton Survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haberl, F.; Sturm, R.; Ballet, J.; Bomans, D. J.; Buckley, D. A. H.; Coe, M. J.; Corbet, R.; Ehle, M.; Filipovic, M. D.; Gilfanov, M.; hide

    2012-01-01

    Context. Although numerous archival XMM-Newton observations existed towards the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) before 2009, only a fraction of the whole galaxy had been covered. Aims. Between May 2009 and March 2010, we carried out an XMM-Newton survey of the SMC, to ensure a complete coverage of both its bar and wing. Thirty-three observations of 30 different fields with a total exposure of about one Ms filled the previously missing parts. Methods. We systematically processed all available SMC data from the European Photon Imaging Camera. After rejecting observations with very high background, we included 53 archival and the 33 survey observations. We produced images in five different energy bands. We applied astrometric boresight corrections using secure identifications of X-ray sources and combined all the images to produce a mosaic covering the main body of the SMC. Results. We present an overview of the XMM-Newton observations, describe their analysis, and summarize our first results, which will be presented in detail in follow-up papers. Here, we mainly focus on extended X-ray sources, such as supernova remnants (SNRs) and clusters of galaxies, that are seen in our X-ray images. Conclusions. Our XMM-Newton survey represents the deepest complete survey of the SMC in the 0.15-12.0 keV X-ray band. We propose three new SNRs that have low surface brightnesses of a few 10-14 erg cm-2 s-1 arcmin-2 and large extents. In addition, several known remnants appear larger than previously measured at either X-rays or other wavelengths extending the size distribution of SMC SNRs to larger values.

  11. Nine Years of XMM-Newton Pipeline: Experience and Feedback

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michel, Laurent; Motch, Christian

    2009-05-01

    The Strasbourg Astronomical Observatory is member of the Survey Science Centre (SSC) of the XMM-Newton satellite. Among other responsibilities, we provide a database access to the 2XMMi catalogue and run the part of the data processing pipeline performing the cross-correlation of EPIC sources with archival catalogs. These tasks were all developed in Strasbourg. Pipeline processing is flawlessly in operation since 1999. We describe here the work load and infrastructure setup in Strasbourg to support SSC activities. Our nine year long SSC experience could be used in the framework of the Simbol-X ground segment.

  12. XMM-Newton Observations of the Toothbrush and Sausage Clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kara, S.; Mernier, F.; Ezer, C.; Akamatsu, H.; Ercan, E.

    2017-10-01

    Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally-bound objects in the universe. The member galaxies are embedded in a hot X-ray emitting Intra Cluster Medium (ICM) that has been enriched with metals produced by supernovae over the last billion years. Here we report new results from XMM-Newton archival observations of the merging clusters 1RXSJ0603.3+4213 and CIZA J2242.8+5301. These two clusters, also known as the Toothbrush and Sausage clusters, respectively, show a large radio relic associated with a merger shock North of their respective core. We show the distribution of the metal abundances with respect to the merger structures in these two clusters. The results are derived from spatially resolved X-ray spectra from the EPIC instrument on board XMM-Newton.

  13. XMM-Newton study of the lensing cluster of galaxies CL 0024+17

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Y.-Y.; Böhringer, H.; Mellier, Y.; Soucail, G.; Forman, W.

    2005-01-01

    We present a detailed gravitational mass measurement based on the XMM-Newton imaging spectroscopy analysis of the lensing cluster of galaxies CL 0024+17 at z=0.395. The emission appears approximately symmetric. However, on the scale of r ˜ 3.3' some indication of elongation is visible in the northwest-southeast (NW-SE) direction from the hardness ratio map (HRM). Within 3', we measure a global gas temperature of 3.52 ± 0.17 keV, metallicity of 0.22 ± 0.07, and bolometric luminosity of 2.9 ± 0.1 × 1044 h-270 erg s-1. We derive a temperature distribution with an isothermal temperature of 3.9 keV to a radius of 1.5' and a temperature gradient in the outskirts (1.3'XMM-Newton X-ray observations and HST optical lensing measurements. This work is based on observations made with the XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA member states and the USA (NASA). Based on observations made with the European Southern Observatory telescopes obtained from the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility.

  14. Efficient management of high level XMM-Newton science data products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zolotukhin, Ivan

    2015-12-01

    Like it is the case for many large projects, XMM-Newton data have been used by the community to produce many valuable higher level data products. However, even after 15 years of the successful mission operation, the potential of these data is not yet fully uncovered, mostly due to the logistical and data management issues. We present a web application, http://xmm-catalog.irap.omp.eu, to highlight an idea that existing public high level data collections generate significant added research value when organized and exposed properly. Several application features such as access to the all-time XMM-Newton photon database and online fitting of extracted sources spectra were never available before. In this talk we share best practices we worked out during the development of this website and discuss their potential use for other large projects generating astrophysical data.

  15. ESA Science Archives, VO tools and remote Scientific Data reduction in Grid Architectures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arviset, C.; Barbarisi, I.; de La Calle, I.; Fajersztejn, N.; Freschi, M.; Gabriel, C.; Gomez, P.; Guainazzi, M.; Ibarra, A.; Laruelo, A.; Leon, I.; Micol, A.; Parrilla, E.; Ortiz, I.; Osuna, P.; Salgado, J.; Stebe, A.; Tapiador, D.

    2008-08-01

    This paper presents the latest functionalities of the ESA Science Archives located at ESAC, Spain, in particular, the following archives : the ISO Data Archive (IDA {http://iso.esac.esa.int/ida}), the XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA {http://xmm.esac.esa.int/xsa}), the Integral SOC Science Data Archive (ISDA {http://integral.esac.esa.int/isda}) and the Planetary Science Archive (PSA {http://www.rssd.esa.int/psa}), both the classical and the map-based Mars Express interfaces. Furthermore, the ESA VOSpec {http://esavo.esac.esa.int/vospecapp} spectra analysis tool is described, which allows to access and display spectral information from VO resources (both real observational and theoretical spectra), including access to Lines database and recent analysis functionalities. In addition, we detail the first implementation of RISA (Remote Interface for Science Analysis), a web service providing remote users the ability to create fully configurable XMM-Newton data analysis workflows, and to deploy and run them on the ESAC Grid. RISA makes fully use of the inter-operability provided by the SIAP (Simple Image Access Protocol) services as data input, and at the same time its VO-compatible output can directly be used by general VO-tools.

  16. XMM-Newton Mobile Web Application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; Kennedy, M.; Rodríguez, P.; Hernández, C.; Saxton, R.; Gabriel, C.

    2013-10-01

    We present the first XMM-Newton web mobile application, coded using new web technologies such as HTML5, the Query mobile framework, and D3 JavaScript data-driven library. This new web mobile application focuses on re-formatted contents extracted directly from the XMM-Newton web, optimizing the contents for mobile devices. The main goals of this development were to reach all kind of handheld devices and operating systems, while minimizing software maintenance. The application therefore has been developed as a web mobile implementation rather than a more costly native application. New functionality will be added regularly.

  17. Analysis of XMM-Newton Data from Extended Sources and the Diffuse X-Ray Background

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snowden, Steven

    2011-01-01

    Reduction of X-ray data from extended objects and the diffuse background is a complicated process that requires attention to the details of the instrumental response as well as an understanding of the multiple background components. We present methods and software that we have developed to reduce data from XMM-Newton EPIC imaging observations for both the MOS and PN instruments. The software has now been included in the Science Analysis System (SAS) package available through the XMM-Newton Science Operations Center (SOC).

  18. VizieR Online Data Catalog: The XMM-Newton 2nd Incremental Source Catalogue (2XMMi) (XMM-SSC, 2008)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xmm-Newton Survey Science Centre, Consortium

    2007-09-01

    The 2XMMi catalogue is the fourth publicly released XMM X-ray source catalogue produced by the XMM Survey Science Centre (SSC) consortium, following the 1XMM (Cat. IX/37, released in April 2003), 2XMMp (July 2006) and 2XMM (Cat. IX/39, August 2007) catalogues: 2XMMp was a preliminary version of 2XMM. 2XMMi is an incremental version of the 2XMM catalogue. The 2XMMi catalogue is about 17% larger than the 2XMM catalogue, which it supersedes, due to the 1-year longer baseline of observations included (it is about 8 times larger than the 1XMM catalogue). As such, it is the largest X-ray source catalogue ever produced, containing more than twice as many discrete sources as either the ROSAT survey or pointed catalogues. 2XMMi complements deeper Chandra and XMM-Newton small area surveys, probing a large sky area at the flux limit where the bulk of the objects that contribute to the X-ray background lie. The 2XMMi catalogue provides a rich resource for generating large, well-defined samples for specific studies, utilizing the fact that X-ray selection is a highly efficient (arguably the most efficient) way of selecting certain types of object, notably active galaxies (AGN), clusters of galaxies, interacting compact binaries and active stellar coronae. The large sky area covered by the serendipitous survey, or equivalently the large size of the catalogue, also means that 2XMMi is a superb resource for exploring the variety of the X-ray source population and identifying rare source types. The production of the 2XMMi catalogue has been undertaken by the XMM-Newton SSC consortium in fulfilment of one of its major responsibilities within the XMM-Newton project. The catalogue production process has been designed to exploit fully the capabilities of the XMM-Newton EPIC cameras and to ensure the integrity and quality of the resultant catalogue through rigorous screening of the data. The predecessor 2XMM catalogue was made from a subset of public observations emerging from a re

  19. VizieR Online Data Catalog: The XMM-Newton 2nd Incremental Source Catalogue (2XMMi) (XMM-SSC, 2008)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xmm-Newton Survey Science Centre, Consortium

    2008-09-01

    The 2XMMi catalogue is the fourth publicly released XMM X-ray source catalogue produced by the XMM Survey Science Centre (SSC) consortium, following the 1XMM (Cat. IX/37, released in April 2003), 2XMMp (July 2006) and 2XMM (Cat. IX/39, August 2007) catalogues: 2XMMp was a preliminary version of 2XMM. 2XMMi is an incremental version of the 2XMM catalogue. The 2XMMi catalogue is about 17% larger than the 2XMM catalogue, which it supersedes, due to the 1-year longer baseline of observations included (it is about 8 times larger than the 1XMM catalogue). As such, it is the largest X-ray source catalogue ever produced, containing more than twice as many discrete sources as either the ROSAT survey or pointed catalogues. 2XMMi complements deeper Chandra and XMM-Newton small area surveys, probing a large sky area at the flux limit where the bulk of the objects that contribute to the X-ray background lie. The 2XMMi catalogue provides a rich resource for generating large, well-defined samples for specific studies, utilizing the fact that X-ray selection is a highly efficient (arguably the most efficient) way of selecting certain types of object, notably active galaxies (AGN), clusters of galaxies, interacting compact binaries and active stellar coronae. The large sky area covered by the serendipitous survey, or equivalently the large size of the catalogue, also means that 2XMMi is a superb resource for exploring the variety of the X-ray source population and identifying rare source types. The production of the 2XMMi catalogue has been undertaken by the XMM-Newton SSC consortium in fulfilment of one of its major responsibilities within the XMM-Newton project. The catalogue production process has been designed to exploit fully the capabilities of the XMM-Newton EPIC cameras and to ensure the integrity and quality of the resultant catalogue through rigorous screening of the data. The predecessor 2XMM catalogue was made from a subset of public observations emerging from a re

  20. Discovery of the Transient Magnetar 3XMM J185246.6+003317 near Supernova Remnant Kesteven 79 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Ping; Chen, Yang; Li, Xiang-Dong; Safi-Harb, Samar; Mendez, Mariano; Terada, Yukikatsu; Sun, Wei; Ge, Ming-Yu

    2014-01-01

    We report the serendipitous discovery with XMM-Newton that 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is an 11.56 s X-ray pulsar located 1' away from the southern boundary of supernova remnant Kes 79. The spin-down rate of 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is <1.1 × 10-13 s s-1, which, together with the long period P = 11.5587126(4) s, indicates a dipolar surface magnetic field of <3.6 × 1013 G, a characteristic age of >1.7 Myr, and a spin-down luminosity of <2.8 × 1030 erg s-1. Its X-ray spectrum is best-fitted with a resonant Compton scattering model and also can be adequately described by a blackbody model. The observations covering a seven-month span from 2008 to 2009 show variations in the spectral properties of the source, with the luminosity decreasing from 2.7 × 1034 erg s-1 to 4.6 × 1033 erg s-1, along with a decrease of the blackbody temperature from kT ≈ 0.8 keV to ≈0.6 keV. The X-ray luminosity of the source is higher than its spin-down luminosity, ruling out rotation as a power source. The combined timing and spectral properties, the non-detection of any optical or infrared counterpart, together with the lack of detection of the source in archival X-ray data prior to the 2008 XMM-Newton observation, point to 3XMM J185246.6+003317 being a newly discovered transient low-B magnetar undergoing an outburst decay during the XMM-Newton observations. The non-detection by Chandra in 2001 sets an upper limit of 4 × 1032 erg s-1 to the quiescent luminosity of 3XMM J185246.6+003317. Its period is the longest among currently known transient magnetars. The foreground absorption toward 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is similar to that of Kes 79, suggesting a similar distance of ~7.1 kpc.

  1. The XMM-SERVS survey: new XMM-Newton point-source catalog for the XMM-LSS field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, C.-T. J.; Brandt, W. N.; Luo, B.; Ranalli, P.; Yang, G.; Alexander, D. M.; Bauer, F. E.; Kelson, D. D.; Lacy, M.; Nyland, K.; Tozzi, P.; Vito, F.; Cirasuolo, M.; Gilli, R.; Jarvis, M. J.; Lehmer, B. D.; Paolillo, M.; Schneider, D. P.; Shemmer, O.; Smail, I.; Sun, M.; Tanaka, M.; Vaccari, M.; Vignali, C.; Xue, Y. Q.; Banerji, M.; Chow, K. E.; Häußler, B.; Norris, R. P.; Silverman, J. D.; Trump, J. R.

    2018-04-01

    We present an X-ray point-source catalog from the XMM-Large Scale Structure survey region (XMM-LSS), one of the XMM-Spitzer Extragalactic Representative Volume Survey (XMM-SERVS) fields. We target the XMM-LSS region with 1.3 Ms of new XMM-Newton AO-15 observations, transforming the archival X-ray coverage in this region into a 5.3 deg2 contiguous field with uniform X-ray coverage totaling 2.7 Ms of flare-filtered exposure, with a 46 ks median PN exposure time. We provide an X-ray catalog of 5242 sources detected in the soft (0.5-2 keV), hard (2-10 keV), and/or full (0.5-10 keV) bands with a 1% expected spurious fraction determined from simulations. A total of 2381 new X-ray sources are detected compared to previous source catalogs in the same area. Our survey has flux limits of 1.7 × 10-15, 1.3 × 10-14, and 6.5 × 10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 over 90% of its area in the soft, hard, and full bands, respectively, which is comparable to those of the XMM-COSMOS survey. We identify multiwavelength counterpart candidates for 99.9% of the X-ray sources, of which 93% are considered as reliable based on their matching likelihood ratios. The reliabilities of these high-likelihood-ratio counterparts are further confirmed to be ≈97% reliable based on deep Chandra coverage over ≈5% of the XMM-LSS region. Results of multiwavelength identifications are also included in the source catalog, along with basic optical-to-infrared photometry and spectroscopic redshifts from publicly available surveys. We compute photometric redshifts for X-ray sources in 4.5 deg2 of our field where forced-aperture multi-band photometry is available; >70% of the X-ray sources in this subfield have either spectroscopic or high-quality photometric redshifts.

  2. Discovery of the transient magnetar 3XMM J185246.6+003317 near supernova remnant Kesteven 79 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Ping; Mendez, Mariano; Chen, Yang; Li, Xiangdong; Safi-Harb, Samar; Terada, Yukikatsu; Sun, Wei; Ge, Mingyu

    We report the serendipitous discovery with XMM-Newton that 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is an 11.56 s X-ray pulsar located 1' away from the southern boundary of supernova remnant Kes 79. The spin-down rate of 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is <1.1× 10(-13) s s(-1) , which, together with the long period P=11.558714(2) s, indicates a dipolar surface magnetic field of <3.6× 10(13) G, a characteristic age of >1.7 Myr, and a spin-down luminosity of <2.8× 10(30) erg s(-1) . The X-ray spectrum of the source is best-fitted with a resonant Compton scattering model, and can be also adequately described by a blackbody model. The observations covering a seven month span from 2008 to 2009 show variations in the spectral properties of the source, with the luminosity decreasing from 2.7× 10(34) erg s(-1) to 4.6 × 10(33) erg s(-1) , along with a decrease of the blackbody temperature from kT≈ 0.8 keV to ≈0.6 keV. The X-ray luminosity of the source is higher than its spin-down luminosity, ruling out rotation as a power source. The combined timing and spectral properties, the non-detection of any optical or infrared counterpart, together with the lack of detection of the source in archival X-ray data prior to the 2008 XMM-Newton observation, point to this source being a newly discovered transient low-B magnetar undergoing an outburst decay during the XMM-Newton observations. The non-detection by Chandra in 2001 sets an upper limit 4× 10(32) erg s(-1) to the quiescent luminosity of 3XMM J185246.6+003317. Its period is the longest among currently known transient magnetars. The foreground absorption toward 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is similar to that of Kes 79, suggesting a similar distance of ˜7.1 kpc.

  3. OMCat: Catalogue of Serendipitous Sources Detected with the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuntz, K. D.; Harrus, Ilana; McGlynn, Thomas A.; Mushotsky, Richard F.; Snowden, Steven L.

    2007-01-01

    The Optical Monitor Catalogue of serendipitous sources (OMCat) contains entries for every source detected in the publically available XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (OM) images taken in either the imaging or "fast" modes. Since the OM records data simultaneously with the X-ray telescopes on XMM-Newton, it typically produces images in one or more near-UV/optical bands for every pointing of the observatory. As of the beginning of 2006, the public archive had covered roughly 0.5% of the sky in 2950 fields. The OMCat is not dominated by sources previously undetected at other wavelengths; the bulk of objects have optical counterparts. However, the OMCat can be used to extend optical or X-ray spectral energy distributions for known objects into the ultraviolet, to study at higher angular resolution objects detected with GALEX, or to find high-Galactic-latitude objects of interest for UV spectroscopy.

  4. Recovering galaxy cluster gas density profiles with XMM-Newton and Chandra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartalucci, I.; Arnaud, M.; Pratt, G. W.; Vikhlinin, A.; Pointecouteau, E.; Forman, W. R.; Jones, C.; Mazzotta, P.; Andrade-Santos, F.

    2017-12-01

    We examined the reconstruction of galaxy cluster radial density profiles obtained from Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations, using high quality data for a sample of twelve objects covering a range of morphologies and redshifts. By comparing the results obtained from the two observatories and by varying key aspects of the analysis procedure, we examined the impact of instrumental effects and of differences in the methodology used in the recovery of the density profiles. We find that the final density profile shape is particularly robust. We adapted the photon weighting vignetting correction method developed for XMM-Newton for use with Chandra data, and confirm that the resulting Chandra profiles are consistent with those corrected a posteriori for vignetting effects. Profiles obtained from direct deprojection and those derived using parametric models are consistent at the 1% level. At radii larger than 6″, the agreement between Chandra and XMM-Newton is better than 1%, confirming an excellent understanding of the XMM-Newton PSF. Furthermore, we find no significant energy dependence. The impact of the well-known offset between Chandra and XMM-Newton gas temperature determinations on the density profiles is found to be negligible. However, we find an overall normalisation offset in density profiles of the order of 2.5%, which is linked to absolute flux cross-calibration issues. As a final result, the weighted ratios of Chandra to XMM-Newton gas masses computed at R2500 and R500 are r = 1.03 ± 0.01 and r = 1.03 ± 0.03, respectively. Our study confirms that the radial density profiles are robustly recovered, and that any differences between Chandra and XMM-Newton can be constrained to the 2.5% level, regardless of the exact data analysis details. These encouraging results open the way for the true combination of X-ray observations of galaxy clusters, fully leveraging the high resolution of Chandra and the high throughput of XMM-Newton.

  5. A year after lift-off, XMM-Newton is impressing the X-ray astronomy community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2000-11-01

    XMM-Newton was launched from Kourou on 10 December 1999 on the first Ariane-5 commercial flight. After in-orbit commissioning of the spacecraft, and calibration and performance verification of its science instruments, the observatory entered its routine operations phase on 1 July. At the press conference, ESA's Director of Science Prof. Roger-Maurice Bonnet and XMM-Newton Project Scientist Fred Jansen will present some of the many scientific results from the first eight months of the mission. Also present will be two of Europe's foremost X-ray astronomers, Prof. Johan Bleeker of the Space Research Organisation of the Netherlands, and Prof. Guenther Hasinger of the Astrophysikalisches Institut Potsdam, Germany. Amongst the topics to be illustrated with some remarkably vivid "colour" images of the X-ray Universe, will be XMM-Newton's first examination of a cataclysmic binary star, its first insights into some enigmatic black hole systems, analysis of the morphology of a few supernovae remnants, and evidence it has collected to end the long-standing mystery over X-ray cosmic background emission... The press conference will also recap on the spacecraft's operations, the performance of its science instruments, the issue of radiation constraints and future aspects of the mission. Media representatives wishing to attend the press event are kindly invited to complete the attached reply form and fax it back to ESA Media Relations Office +33(0)1.53.69.7690. Note to editors XMM-Newton is ESA's second Cornerstone Mission of the Horizon 2000 programme. The spacecraft was built by a European consortium of companies led by Astrium (formerly Dornier Satellitensysteme), Friedrichshafen, Germany. Its X-ray imaging and spectrographic instruments (EPIC and RGS) and its optical telescope (OM) were provided by large consortia, whose principal investigators are from, respectively, the University of Leicester, UK, SRON University of Utrecht Netherlands, and the Mullard Space Science

  6. XMM-Newton operations beyond the design lifetime

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parmar, Arvind N.; Kirsch, Marcus G. F.; Muñoz, J. Ramon; Santos-Lleo, Maria; Schartel, Norbert

    2012-09-01

    After more than twelve years in orbit and two years beyond the design lifetime, XMM-Newton continues its near faultless operations providing the worldwide astronomical community with an unprecedented combination of imaging and spectroscopic X-ray capabilities together with simultaneous optical and ultra-violet monitoring. The interest from the scientific community in observing with XMM-Newton remains extremely high with the last annual Announcement of Observing Opportunity (AO-11) attracting proposals requesting 6.7 times more observing time than was available. Following recovery from a communications problem in 2008, all elements of the mission are stable and largely trouble free. The operational lifetime if currently limited by the amount of available hydrazine fuel. XMM-Newton normally uses reaction wheels for attitude control and fuel is only used when offsetting reaction wheel speed away from limiting values and for emergency Sun acquisition following an anomaly. Currently, the hydrazine is predicted to last until around 2020. However, ESA is investigating the possibility of making changes to the operations concept and the onboard software that would enable lower fuel consumption. This could allow operations to well beyond 2026.

  7. Adaptation of XMM-Newton SAS to GRID and VO architectures via web

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; de La Calle, I.; Gabriel, C.; Salgado, J.; Osuna, P.

    2008-10-01

    The XMM-Newton Scientific Analysis Software (SAS) is a robust software that has allowed users to produce good scientific results since the beginning of the mission. This has been possible given the SAS capability to evolve with the advent of new technologies and adapt to the needs of the scientific community. The prototype of the Remote Interface for Science Analysis (RISA) presented here, is one such example, which provides remote analysis of XMM-Newton data with access to all the existing SAS functionality, while making use of GRID computing technology. This new technology has recently emerged within the astrophysical community to tackle the ever lasting problem of computer power for the reduction of large amounts of data.

  8. XMM-NEWTON OBSERVATION OF THE {alpha} PERSEI CLUSTER

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pillitteri, Ignazio; Evans, Nancy Remage; Wolk, Scott J.

    We report on the analysis of an archival observation of part of the {alpha} Persei cluster obtained with XMM-Newton. We detected 102 X-ray sources in the band 0.3-8.0 keV, of which 39 of them are associated with the cluster as evidenced by appropriate magnitudes and colors from Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry. We extend the X-ray luminosity distribution (XLD) for M dwarfs, to add to the XLD found for hotter dwarfs from spatially extensive surveys of the whole cluster by ROSAT. Some of the hotter stars are identified as a background, possible slightly older group of stars at amore » distance of approximately 500 pc.« less

  9. Turbulence in the Intracluster Medium: XMM-Newton legacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinto, C.; Fabian, A.; Sanders, J.; De Plaa, J.

    2017-10-01

    The kinematics structure of the Intracluster Medium (ICM) in clusters of galaxies is heir of their past evolution. AGN feedback, sloshing of gas within the potential well, and galaxy mergers are thought to generate turbulence of several hundred km/s into the ICM. Accurate measurements of velocity widths provide the means to understand the effects of these energetic phenomena onto the evolution of the clusters. In this talk I will review our recent measurements of turbulence using the high-resolution grating and microcalorimeter spectrometers on board XMM-Newton and Hitomi, respectively. Most recently, we have produced the largest XMM-Newton/RGS grating catalogue totalling about a hundred objects, which merge the recent CHEERS campaign and the efforts of the last decade as well as the newest observations of clusters and groups of galaxies. This catalogue includes all high-quality grating spectra publicly available by January 2017 and provides the XMM-Newton legacy for the future work. In this talk, I will discuss the first results with particular focus on the measurements of velocity broadening and the new constraints on turbulence.

  10. UNBIASED CORRECTION RELATIONS FOR GALAXY CLUSTER PROPERTIES DERIVED FROM CHANDRA AND XMM-NEWTON

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhao, Hai-Hui; Li, Cheng-Kui; Chen, Yong

    2015-01-20

    We use a sample of 62 clusters of galaxies to investigate the discrepancies between the gas temperature and total mass within r {sub 500} from XMM-Newton and Chandra data. Comparisons of the properties show that (1) both the de-projected and projected temperatures determined by Chandra are higher than those of XMM-Newton and there is a good linear relationship for the de-projected temperatures: T {sub Chandra} = 1.25 × T {sub XMM}–0.13. (2) The Chandra mass is much higher than the XMM-Newton mass with a bias of 0.15 and our mass relation is log{sub 10} M {sub Chandra} = 1.02 × log{sub 10}more » M {sub XMM}+0.15. To explore the reasons for the discrepancy in mass, we recalculate the Chandra mass (expressed as M{sub Ch}{sup mo/d}) by modifying its temperature with the de-projected temperature relation. The results show that M{sub Ch}{sup mo/d} is closer to the XMM-Newton mass with the bias reducing to 0.02. Moreover, M{sub Ch}{sup mo/d} are corrected with the r {sub 500} measured by XMM-Newton and the intrinsic scatter is significantly improved with the value reducing from 0.20 to 0.12. These mean that the temperature bias may be the main factor causing the mass bias. Finally, we find that M{sub Ch}{sup mo/d} is consistent with the corresponding XMM-Newton mass derived directly from our mass relation at a given Chandra mass. Thus, the de-projected temperature and mass relations can provide unbiased corrections for galaxy cluster properties derived from Chandra and XMM-Newton.« less

  11. XMM-Newton Archival Study of the ULX Population in Nearby Galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Winter, Lisa M.; Mushotzky, Richard; Reynolds, Christopher S.

    2005-01-01

    We have conducted an archival XMM-Newton study of the bright X-ray point sources in 32 nearby galaxies. From our list of approximately 100 point sources, we attempt to determine if there is a low-state counterpart to the Ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) population. Indeed, 16 sources in our sample match the criteria we set for a low-state ULX, namely, L(sub X) greater than 10(exp 38 ergs per second) and a spectrum best fit with an absorbed power law. Further, we find evidence for 26 high-state ULXs which are best fit by a combined blackbody and a power law. As in Galactic black hole systems, the spectral indices, GAMMA, of the low-state objects, as well a s the luminosities, tend to be lower than those of the high-state objects. The observed range of blackbody temperatures is 0.1-1 keV with the most luminous systems tending toward the lowest temperatures. We also find a class of object whose properties (luminosity, blackbody temperature, and power law slopes) are very similar to those of galactic stellar mass black holes. In addition, we find a subset of these objects that can be best fit by a Comptonized spectrum similar to that used for Galactic black holes in the very high state, when they are radiating near the Eddington limit.

  12. Star Formation Rates in Cooling Flow Clusters: A UV Pilot Study with Archival XMM-Newton Optical Monitor Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hicks, A. K.; Mushotzky, R.

    2006-01-01

    We have analyzed XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (OM) UV (180-400 nm) data for a sample of 33 galaxies. 30 are cluster member galaxies, and nine of these are central cluster galaxies (CCGs) in cooling flow clusters having mass deposition rates which span a range of 8 - 525 Solar Mass/yr. By comparing the ratio of UV to 2MASS J band fluxes, we find a significant UV excess in many, but not all, cooling flow CCGs, a finding consistent with the outcome of previous studies based on optical imaging data (McNamara & O'Connell 1989; Cardiel, Gorgas, & Aragon-Salamanca 1998; Crawford et al. 1999). This UV excess is a direct indication of the presence of young massive stars, and therefore recent star formation, in these galaxies. Using the Starburst99 spectral energy distribution (SED) model of continuous star formation over a 900 Myr period, we derive star formation rates of 0.2 - 219 solar Mass/yr for the cooling flow sample. For 2/3 of this sample it is possible to equate Chandra/XMM cooling flow mass deposition rates with UV inferred star formation rates, for a combination of starburst lifetime and IMF slope. This is a pilot study of the well populated XMM UV cluster archive and a more extensive follow up study is currently underway.

  13. XMM-Newton, powerful AGN winds and galaxy feedback

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pounds, K.; King, A.

    2016-06-01

    The discovery that ultra-fast ionized winds - sufficiently powerful to disrupt growth of the host galaxy - are a common feature of luminous AGN is major scientific breakthrough led by XMM-Newton. An extended observation in 2014 of the prototype UFO, PG1211+143, has revealed an unusually complex outflow, with distinct and persisting velocities detected in both hard and soft X-ray spectra. While the general properties of UFOs are consistent with being launched - at the local escape velocity - from the inner disc where the accretion rate is modestly super-Eddington (King and Pounds, Ann Rev Astron Astro- phys 2015), these more complex flows have raised questions about the outflow geometry and the importance of shocks and enhanced cooling. XMM-Newton seems likely to remain the best Observatory to study UFOs prior to Athena, and further extended observations, of PG1211+143 and other bright AGN, have the exciting potential to establish the typical wind dynamics, while providing new insights on the accretion geometry and continuum source structure. An emphasis on such large, coordinated observing programmes with XMM-Newton over the next decade will continue the successful philosophy pioneered by EXOSAT, while helping to inform the optimum planning for Athena

  14. A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: I. Dataset and extraction procedures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marelli, Martino; Salvetti, David; Gastaldello, Fabio; Ghizzardi, Simona; Molendi, Silvano; Luca, Andrea De; Moretti, Alberto; Rossetti, Mariachiara; Tiengo, Andrea

    2017-12-01

    XMM-Newton is the direct precursor of the future ESA ATHENA mission. A study of its particle-induced background provides therefore significant insight for the ATHENA mission design. We make use of ˜12 years of data, products from the third XMM-Newton catalog as well as FP7 EXTraS project to avoid celestial sources contamination and to disentangle the different components of the XMM-Newton particle-induced background. Within the ESA R&D AREMBES collaboration, we built new analysis pipelines to study the different components of this background: this covers time behavior as well as spectral and spatial characteristics.

  15. ESA's XMM-Newton gains deep insights into the distant Universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2003-07-01

    First image from the XMM-LSS survey hi-res Size hi-res: 87 kb Credits: ESA First image from the XMM-LSS survey The first image from the XMM-LSS survey is actually a combination of fourteen separate 'pointings' of the space observatory. It represents a region of the sky eight times larger than the full Moon and contains around 25 clusters. The circles represent the sources previously known from the 1991 ROSAT All-Sky Survey. A computer programme zooms in on an interesting region hi-res Size hi-res: 86 kb Credits: ESA A computer programme zooms in on an interesting region A computer programme zooms in on an interesting region of the image and identifies the possible cluster. Each point on this graph represents a single X-ray photons detected by XMM-Newton. Most come from distant actie galaxies and the computer must perform a sophisticated, statistical computation to determine which X-ray come from clusters. Contour map of clusters hi-res Size hi-res: 139 kb Credits: ESA Contour map of clusters The computer programme transforms the XMM-Newton data into a contour map of the cluster's probable extent and superimposes it over the CFHT snapshot, allowing the individual galaxies in the cluster to be targeted for further observations with ESO's VLT, to measure its distance and locate the cluster in the universe. Unlike grains of sand on a beach, matter is not uniformly spread throughout the Universe. Instead, it is concentrated into galaxies like our own which themselves congregate into clusters. These clusters are 'strung' throughout the Universe in a web-like structure. Astronomers have studied this large-scale structure of the nearby Universe but have lacked the instruments to extend the search to the large volumes of the distant Universe. Thanks to its unrivalled sensitivity, in less than three hours, ESA's X-ray observatory XMM-Newton can see back about 7000 million years to a cosmological era when the Universe was about half its present size, and clusters of galaxies

  16. Using the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor to Study Cluster Galaxy Evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, Neal A.; O'Steen, Richard; Yen, Steffi; Kuntz, K. D.; Hammer, Derek

    2012-01-01

    We explore the application of XMM Newton Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) ultraviolet (UV) data to study galaxy evolution. Our sample is constructed as the intersection of all Abell clusters with z < 0.05 and having archival XMM-OM data in either the UVM2 or UVW1 filters, plus optical and UV photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and GALEX, respectively. The 11 resulting clusters include 726 galaxies with measured redshifts, 520 of which have redshifts placing them within their parent Abell clusters. We develop procedures for manipulating the XMM-OM images and measuring galaxy photometry from them, and we confirm our results via comparison with published catalogs. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) constructed using the XMM-OM data along with SDSS optical data show promise for evolutionary studies, with good separation between red and blue sequences and real variation in the width of the red sequence that is likely indicative of differences in star formation history. This is particularly true for UVW1 data, as the relative abundance of data collected using this filter and its depth make it an attractive choice. Available tools that use stellar synthesis libraries to fit the UV and optical photometric data may also be used, thereby better describing star formation history within the past billion years and providing estimates of total stellar mass that include contributions from young stars. Finally, color-color diagrams that include XMM-OM UV data appear useful to the photometric identification of both extragalactic and stellar sources.

  17. Using the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor to Study Cluster Galaxy Evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Neal A.; O'Steen, Richard; Yen, Steffi; Kuntz, K. D.; Hammer, Derek

    2012-02-01

    We explore the application of XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) ultraviolet (UV) data to study galaxy evolution. Our sample is constructed as the intersection of all Abell clusters with z < 0.05 and having archival XMM-OM data in either the UVM2 or UVW1 filters, plus optical and UV photometry from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and GALEX, respectively. The 11 resulting clusters include 726 galaxies with measured redshifts, 520 of which have redshifts placing them within their parent Abell clusters. We develop procedures for manipulating the XMM-OM images and measuring galaxy photometry from them, and we confirm our results via comparison with published catalogs. Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) constructed using the XMM-OM data along with SDSS optical data show promise for evolutionary studies, with good separation between red and blue sequences and real variation in the width of the red sequence that is likely indicative of differences in star formation history. This is particularly true for UVW1 data, as the relative abundance of data collected using this filter and its depth make it an attractive choice. Available tools that use stellar synthesis libraries to fit the UV and optical photometric data may also be used, thereby better describing star formation history within the past billion years and providing estimates of total stellar mass that include contributions from young stars. Finally, color-color diagrams that include XMM-OM UV data appear useful to the photometric identification of both extragalactic and stellar sources.

  18. The XMM-SERVS Survey: first results in the 5 deg^2 XMM-LSS region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Chien-Ting; Brandt, William; Luo, Bin; X-SERVS team

    2018-01-01

    We present an X-ray source catalog obtained with XMM-Newton in the XMM-LSS region as part of the X-SERVS survey (XMM-SERVS-LSS), which aims to expand the parameter space of current X-ray surveys with medium-deep X-ray observations in multiple large fields with superb multiwavelength coverage. Within the 5 deg$^2$ XMM-SERVS-LSS field, we combine the 1.3 Ms XMM observations allocated at XMM AO-15 with archival data, and identified 5218 X-ray sources of which 2400 are new sources. We reach $1.2\\times10^{-15}$ erg s$^{-1} cm$^{-1}$ for 50\\% of the area, which is comparable to the XMM-COSMOS survey but with 2.5 times more sources. We also present multiwavelength identifications, basic photometric properties, and spectroscopic redshifts obtained from the literature. These data, combined with the existing data from COSMOS, will enable a wide range of science on AGN evolution, including studying SMBH growth across the full range of cosmic environments and minimizing cosmic variance.

  19. Resolving galaxy cluster gas properties at z ˜ 1 with XMM-Newton and Chandra

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bartalucci, I.; Arnaud, M.; Pratt, G. W.; Démoclès, J.; van der Burg, R. F. J.; Mazzotta, P.

    2017-02-01

    Massive, high-redshift, galaxy clusters are useful laboratories to test cosmological models and to probe structure formation and evolution, but observations are challenging due to cosmological dimming and angular distance effects. Here we present a pilot X-ray study of the five most massive (M500 > 5 × 1014M⊙), distant (z 1), clusters detected via the Sunyaev-Zel'Dovich effect. We optimally combine XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray observations by leveraging the throughput of XMM-Newton to obtain spatially-resolved spectroscopy, and the spatial resolution of Chandra to probe the bright inner parts and to detect embedded point sources. Capitalising on the excellent agreement in flux-related measurements, we present a new method to derive the density profiles, which are constrained in the centre by Chandra and in the outskirts by XMM-Newton. We show that the Chandra-XMM-Newton combination is fundamental for morphological analysis at these redshifts, the Chandra resolution being required to remove point source contamination, and the XMM-Newton sensitivity allowing higher significance detection of faint substructures. Measuring the morphology using images from both instruments, we found that the sample is dominated by dynamically disturbed objects. We use the combined Chandra-XMM-Newton density profiles and spatially-resolved temperature profiles to investigate thermodynamic quantities including entropy and pressure. From comparison of the scaled profiles with the local REXCESS sample, we find no significant departure from standard self-similar evolution, within the dispersion, at any radius, except for the entropy beyond 0.7 R500. The baryon mass fraction tends towards the cosmic value, with a weaker dependence on mass than that observed in the local Universe. We make a comparison with the predictions from numerical simulations. The present pilot study demonstrates the utility and feasibility of spatially-resolved analysis of individual objects at high-redshift through

  20. A Search for New Galactic Magnetars in Archival Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muno, M. P.; Gaensler, B. M.; Nechita, A.; Miller, J. M.; Slane, P. O.

    2008-06-01

    We present constraints on the number of Galactic magnetars, which we have established by searching for sources with periodic variability in 506 archival Chandra observations and 441 archival XMM-Newton observations of the Galactic plane (| b| < 5°). Our search revealed four sources with periodic variability on timescales of 200-5000 s, all of which are probably accreting white dwarfs. We identify 7 of 12 known Galactic magnetars, but find no new examples with periods between 5 and 20 s. We convert this nondetection into limits on the total number of Galactic magnetars by computing the fraction of the young Galactic stellar population that our survey covered. We find that easily detectable magnetars, modeled after persistent anomalous X-ray pulsars (e.g., with LX = 1035 ergs s-1 [0.5-10.0 keV] and Arms = 12% ), could have been identified in ≈5% of the Galactic spiral arms by mass. If we assume that three previously known examples randomly fall within our survey, then there are 59+ 92-32 in the Galaxy. Barely detectable magnetars (LX = 3 × 1033 ergs s-1 and Arms = 15% ) could have been identified throughout ≈0.4% of the spiral arms. The lack of new examples implies that <540 exist in the Galaxy (90% confidence). Similar constraints are found by considering the detectability of transient magnetars in outburst. For assumed lifetimes of 104 yr, the birth rate of magnetars is between 0.003 and 0.06 yr-1. Therefore, the birth rate of magnetars is at least 10% of that for normal radio pulsars, and could exceed that value, unless transient magnetars are active for gtrsim105 yr.

  1. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (Della Ceca+, 2004)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Della Ceca, R.; Maccacaro, T.; Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.; Braito, V.; Barcons, X.; Carrera, F. J.; Watson, M. G.; Tedds, J. A.; Brunner, H.; Lehmann, I.; Page, M. J.; Lamer, G.; Schwope, A.

    2005-09-01

    We present here "The XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey", composed of two flux-limited samples: the XMM-Newton Bright Source Sample (BSS, hereafter) and the XMM-Newton "Hard" Bright Source Sample (HBSS, hereafter) having a flux limit of fX~7x10-14erg/cm2/s in the 0.5-4.5keV and 4.5-7.5keV energy band, respectively. After discussing the main goals of this project and the survey strategy, we present the basic data on a complete sample of 400 X-ray sources (389 of them belong to the BSS, 67 to the HBSS with 56 X-ray sources in common) derived from the analysis of 237 suitable XMM-Newton fields (211 for the HBSS). At the flux limit of the survey we cover a survey area of 28.10 (25.17 for the HBSS) sq. deg. The extragalactic number-flux relationships (in the 0.5-4.5keV and in the 4.5-7.5keV energy bands) are in good agreement with previous and new results making us confident about the correctness of data selection and analysis. (5 data files).

  2. INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton Spectral Studies of NGC 4388

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Beckmann, V.; Gehrels, N.; Favre, P.; Walter, R.; Courvoisier, T. J.-L.; Petrucci, P.-O.; Malzac, J.

    2004-01-01

    We present first INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton observations of a Seyfert galaxy, the type 2 AGN NGC 4388. Several INTEGRAL observations performed in 2003 allow us to study the spectrum in the 20 - 300 keV range. In addition two XMM-Newton observations give detailed insight into the 0.2 - 10 keV emission. Comparison with previous observations by BeppoSAX, SIGMA and CGRO/OSSE show that the overall spectrum for soft X-rays up to the gamma-rays can be described by a highly absorbed (N(sub H approx. = 2.7 x 10(exp 23)/sq cm) and variable non-thermal component in addition to constant non-absorbed thermal emission (T approx. = 0.8 keV) of low abundance (Z approx. 5% Z (solar)), plus a constant Fe K a line. The hard X-ray component is well described by a simple power law with a mean photon index of Gamma = 1.7. During the INTEGRAL observations the flux at 100 keV increased by a factor of 1.5. The analysis of XMM-Newton data implies that the emission below 3 keV is decoupled from the AGN and probably due to extended emission as seen in Chandra observations. The constant iron line emission is apparently also decoupled from the direct emission of the central engine and likely to be generated in the obscuring material, e.g. in the molecular torus.

  3. The XMM-Newton SSC survey of the Galactic plane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nebot Gómez-Morán, A.; Motch, C.; Barcons, X.; Carrera, F. J.; Ceballos, M. T.; Cropper, M.; Grosso, N.; Guillout, P.; Hérent, O.; Mateos, S.; Michel, L.; Osborne, J. P.; Pakull, M.; Pineau, F.-X.; Pye, J. P.; Roberts, T. P.; Rosen, S. R.; Schwope, A. D.; Watson, M. G.; Webb, N.

    2013-05-01

    Many different classes of X-ray sources contribute to the Galactic landscape at high energies. Although the nature of the most luminous X-ray emitters is now fairly well understood, the population of low-to-medium X-ray luminosity (LX = 1027-34 erg s-1) sources remains much less studied, our knowledge being mostly based on the observation of local members. The advent of wide field and high sensitivity X-ray telescopes such as XMM-Newton now offers the opportunity to observe this low-to-medium LX population at large distances. We report on the results of a Galactic plane survey conducted by the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (SSC). Beyond its astrophysical goals, this survey aims at gathering a representative sample of identified X-ray sources at low latitude that can be used later on to statistically identify the rest of the serendipitous sources discovered in the Milky Way. The survey is based on 26 XMM-Newton observations, obtained at | b | < 20 deg, distributed over a large range in Galactic longitudes and covering a summed area of 4 deg2. The flux limit of our survey is 2 × 10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 in the soft (0.5-2 keV) band and 1 × 10-14 erg cm-2 s-1 in the hard (2-12 keV) band. We detect a total of 1319 individual X-ray sources. Using optical follow-up observations supplemented by cross-correlation with a large range of multi-wavelength archival catalogues we identify 316 X-ray sources. This constitutes the largest group of spectroscopically identified low latitude X-ray sources at this flux level. The majority of the identified X-ray sources are active coronae with spectral types in the range A-M at maximum distances of ~1 kpc. The number of identified active starsincreases towards late spectral types, reaching a maximum at K. Using infrared colours we classify 18% of the stars as giants. The observed distributions of FX/FV, X-ray and infrared colours indicates that our sample is dominated by a young (100 Myr) to intermediate (600 Myr) age population with a

  4. An Archival Chandra and XMM-Newton Survey of Type 2 Quasars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jia, Jianjun; Ptak, Andrew Francis; Heckman, Timothy; Zakamska, Nadia L.

    2013-01-01

    In order to investigate obscuration in high-luminosity type 2 active galactic nuclei (AGNs), we analyzed Chandra and XMM-Newton archival observations for 71 type 2 quasars detected at 0.05 < z < 0.73, which were selected based on their [O III] lambda5007 emission lines. For 54 objects with good spectral fits, the observed hard X-ray luminosity ranges from 2 × 10(exp 41) to 5.3 × 10(exp 44) erg s(exp -1), with a median of 1.1 × 10(exp 43) erg s(exp -1). We find that the means of the column density and photon index of our sample are log N(sub H) = 22.9 cm(exp -2) and gamma = 1.87, respectively. From simulations using a more physically realistic model, we find that the absorbing column density estimates based on simple power-law models significantly underestimate the actual absorption in approximately half of the sources. Eleven sources show a prominent Fe K alpha emission line (EW>100 eV in the rest frame) and we detect this line in the other sources through a joint fit (spectral stacking). The correlation between the Fe K alpha and [O III] fluxes and the inverse correlation of the equivalent width of the Fe Ka line with the ratio of hard X-ray and [O III] fluxes is consistent with previous results for lower luminosity Seyfert 2 galaxies. We conclude that obscuration is the cause of the weak hard X-ray emission rather than intrinsically low X-ray luminosities. We find that about half of the population of optically selected type 2 quasars are likely to be Compton thick. We also find no evidence that the amount of X-ray obscuration depends on the AGN luminosity (over a range of more than three orders of magnitude in luminosity).

  5. XMM-Newton Archival Study of the ULX Population in Nearby Galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Winter, Lisa M.; Mushotzky, Richard F.; Reynolds, christopher S.

    2006-01-01

    We present the results of an archival XMM-Newton study of the bright X-ray point sources (L(sub X) greater than 10(exp 38 erg per second)) in 32 nearby galaxies. From our list of approximately 100 point sources, we attempt to determine if there is a low-state counterpart to the Ultraluminous X-ray (ULX) population, searching for a soft-hard state dichotomy similar to that known for Galactic X-ray binaries and testing the specific predictions of the IMBH hypothesis. To this end, we searched for low-state objects, which we defined as objects within our sample which had a spectrum well fit by a simple absorbed power law, and high-state objects, which we defined as objects better fit by a combined blackbody and a power law. Assuming that low-state)) objects accrete at approximately 10% of the Eddington luminosity (Done & Gierlinski 2003) and that high-state objects accrete near the Eddington luminosity we further divided our sample of sources into low and high state ULX sources. We classify 16 sources as low-state ULXs and 26 objects as high-state ULXs. As in Galactic black hole systems, the spectral indices, GAMMA, of the lowstate objects, as well as the luminosities, tend to be lower than those of the high-state objects. The observed range of blackbody temperatures for the high state is 0.1-1 keV, with the most luminous systems tending toward the lowest temperatures. We therefore divide our high-state ULXs into candidate IMBHs (with blackbody temperatures of approximately 0.1 keV) and candidate stellar mass BHs (with blackbody temperatures of approximately 1.0 keV). A subset of the candidate stellar mass BHs have spectra that are well-fit by a Comptonization model, a property similar of Galactic BHs radiating in the very-high state near the Eddington limit.

  6. An X-Ray Investigation of the NGC346 Field in the SMC (3): XMM-Newton Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Naze, Yael; Manfroid, Jean; Corcoran, Michael F.; Stevens, Ian R.

    2004-01-01

    We present new XMM-Newton results on the field around the NGC346 star cluster in the SMC. This continues and extends previously published work on Chandra observations of the same field. The two XMM-Newton observations were obtained, respectively, six months before and six months after the previously published Chandra data. Of the 51 X-ray sources detected with XMM-Newton, 29 were already detected with Chandru. Comparing the properties of these X-ray sources in each of our three datasets has enabled us to investigate their variability on times scales of a year. Changes in the flux levels and/or spectral properties were observed for 21 of these sources. In addition, we discovered long-term variations in the X-ray properties of the peculiar system HD5980, a luminous blue variable star, that is likely to be a colliding wind binary system, which displays the largest luminosity during the first XMM-Newton observation.

  7. Arakelian 564: An XMM-Newton View

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vignali, Cristian; Brandt, W. N.; Boller, Th.; Fabian, A. C.; Vaughan, Simon

    2003-01-01

    We report on two XMM-Newton observations of the bright narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 564 taken one year apart (2000 June and 2001 June). The 0.6-10 keV continuum is well described by a soft blackbody component (kTau approximately equal 140-150 eV) plus a steep power law (Tau approximately equal to 2.50-2.55). No significant spectral changes are observed between the two observations, although the X-ray flux in the second observation is approximately equal to 40-50 per cent lower. In both observations we detect a significant absorption edge at a rest-frame energy of approximately equal to 0.73 keV, corresponding to O VII. The presence of the absorption feature is confirmed by a simultaneous Chandra grating observation in 2000 June, although the best-fitting edge threshold is at a slightly lower energy in the Chandra data, possibly because of a different parameterization of the underlying X-ray continuum. We find tentative evidence for a broad iron emission line in the 2000 June observation. The results from an analysis of the power spectral density (PSD) function are also presented. The present XMM-Newton data support the idea that the PSD shown two breads, although the location of the high-frequency break requires further constraints.

  8. NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of the Hard X- Ray Spectrum of Centaurus A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Furst, F.; Muller, C.; Madsen, K. K.; Lanz, L.; Rivers, E.; Brightman, M.; Arevalo, P.; Balokovic, M.; Beuchert, T.; Zhang, W.

    2016-01-01

    We present simultaneous XMM-Newton and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) observations spanning 3-78 keV of the nearest radio galaxy, Centaurus A (Cen A). The accretion geometry around the central engine in Cen A is still debated, and we investigate possible configurations using detailed X-ray spectral modeling. NuSTAR imaged the central region of Cen A with subarcminute resolution at X-ray energies above 10 keV for the first time, but found no evidence for an extended source or other off-nuclear point sources. The XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra agree well and can be described with an absorbed power law with a photon index Gamma = 1.8150 +/- 0.005 and a fluorescent Fe Kaline in good agreement with literature values. The spectrum is greater than 1 MeV. A thermal Comptonization continuum describes the data well, with parameters that agree with values measured by INTEGRAL, in particular an electron temperature kTe between approximately 100-300 keV and seed photon input temperatures between 5 and 50 eV. We do not find evidence for reflection or a broad iron line and put stringent upper limits of R is less than 0.01 on the reflection fraction and accretion disk illumination. We use archival Chandra data to estimate the contribution from diffuse emission, extra-nuclear point sources, and the outer X-ray jet to the observed NuSTAR and XMM-Newton X-ray spectra and find the contribution to be negligible. We discuss different scenarios for the physical origin of the observed hard X-ray spectrum and conclude that the inner disk is replaced by an advection-dominated accretion flow or that the X-rays are dominated by synchrotron self-Compton emission from the inner regions of the radio jet or a combination thereof.

  9. Has ESA's XMM-Newton cast doubt over dark energy?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2003-12-01

    Galaxy cluster RXJ0847 hi-res Size hi-res: 100k Galaxy cluster RXJ0847 The fuzzy object at the centre of the frame is one of the galaxy clusters observed by XMM-Newton in its investigation of the distant Universe. The cluster, designated RXJ0847.2+3449, is about 7 000 million light years away, so we see it here as it was 7 000 million years ago, when the Universe was only about half of its present age. This cluster is made up of several dozen galaxies. Observations of eight distant clusters of galaxies, the furthest of which is around 10 thousand million light years away, were studied by an international group of astronomers led by David Lumb of ESA's Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. They compared these clusters to those found in the nearby Universe. This study was conducted as part of the larger XMM-Newton Omega Project, which investigates the density of matter in the Universe under the lead of Jim Bartlett of the College de France. Clusters of galaxies are prodigious emitters of X-rays because they contain a large quantity of high-temperature gas. This gas surrounds galaxies in the same way as steam surrounds people in a sauna. By measuring the quantity and energy of X-rays from a cluster, astronomers can work out both the temperature of the cluster gas and also the mass of the cluster. Theoretically, in a Universe where the density of matter is high, clusters of galaxies would continue to grow with time and so, on average, should contain more mass now than in the past. Most astronomers believe that we live in a low-density Universe in which a mysterious substance known as 'dark energy' accounts for 70% of the content of the cosmos and, therefore, pervades everything. In this scenario, clusters of galaxies should stop growing early in the history of the Universe and look virtually indistinguishable from those of today. In a paper soon to be published by the European journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, astronomers from the XMM-Newton

  10. Searching for propeller-phase ULXs in the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Earnshaw, H. P.; Roberts, T. P.; Sathyaprakash, R.

    2018-05-01

    We search for transient sources in a sample of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) from the 3XMM-DR4 release of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue in order to find candidate neutron star ULXs alternating between an accreting state and the propeller regime, in which the luminosity drops dramatically. By examining their fluxes and flux upper limits, we identify five ULXs that demonstrate long-term variability of over an order of magnitude. Using Chandra and Swift data to further characterize their light curves, we find that two of these sources are detected only once and could be X-ray binaries in outburst that only briefly reach ULX luminosities. Two others are consistent with being super-Eddington accreting sources with high levels of inter-observation variability. One source, M51 ULX-4, demonstrates apparent bimodal flux behaviour that could indicate the propeller regime. It has a hard X-ray spectrum, but no significant pulsations in its timing data, although with an upper limit of 10 per cent of the signal pulsed at ˜1.5 Hz a pulsating ULX cannot be excluded, particularly if the pulsations are transient. By simulating XMM-Newton observations of a population of pulsating ULXs, we predict that there could be approximately 200 other bimodal ULXs that have not been observed sufficiently well by XMM-Newton to be identified as transient.

  11. Dark Matter Search Using XMM-Newton Observations of Willman 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lowenstein, Michael; Kusenko, Alexander

    2012-01-01

    We report the results of a search for an emission line from radiatively decaying dark matter in the ultra-faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy Willman 1 based on analysis of spectra extracted from XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory data. The observation follows up our analysis of Chandra data of Willman 1that resulted in line flux upper limits over the Chandra bandpass and evidence of a 2.5 keY feature at a significance below the 99% confidence threshold used to define the limits. The higher effective area of the XMM-Newton detectors, combined with application of recently developing methods for extended-source analysis, allow us to derive improved constraints on the combination of mass and mixing angle of the sterile neutrino dark matter candidate. We do not confirm the Chandra evidence for a 2.5 keV emission line.

  12. XMM-Newton Proposal 03060602

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strickland, David

    2004-10-01

    We propose to observe 3 edge-on Milky-Way-like normal spiral galaxies in order to constrain the presence, properties and physical origin of hot gas in their halos, a topic about which relatively little is currently known. These observations will complete our sample of 8 edge-on normal spirals for which we have a wide range of existing observational data, so that all galaxies will have deep XMM-Newton and/or Chandra observations. With this sample we can assess the relative contribution to the halo X-ray emission of normal spirals from SNII-driven galactic fountains, accretion of primordial gas, and SNIa-driven outflows. The observations will robustly detect NGC 891-like hot halos, broadly quantify their properties, and can be used to constrain the efficiency of mechanical energy feedback.

  13. AG Draconis observed with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    González-Riestra, R.; Viotti, R. F.; Iijima, T.; Rossi, C.; Montagni, F.; Bernabei, S.; Frasca, A.; Skopal, A.

    2008-04-01

    Context: AG Draconis is the brightest symbiotic star in X-rays and one of the prototypes of the supersoft X-ray source class. Aims: Study of the X-ray spectrum of this peculiar binary system, covering both quiescence and activity periods, is necessary to investigate the physics of the high temperature spectral component, and to unveil the origin of the outbursts. Methods: X-ray and UV observations with XMM-Newton during 2003-2005 and coordinated optical spectrophotometric monitoring, together with archive data, are employed to derive the behaviour of the high energy source of the AG Dra system during different orbital and activity phases. Results: During quiescence the X-ray emission is very soft and is close in strength to the previous ROSAT observations, with an estimated luminosity of 2600 L_⊙ and a radius of 0.06 R_⊙. We also found a 20% flux decrease in June 2005 at the time when a U-band minimum coincided with a V-band maximum. The X-ray flux in the XMM range largely decreases, and even vanishes near the optical light maxima (bursts). The UV fluxes measured with the XMM Optical Monitor is close to the fluxes observed with the IUE satellite. There is a marked anticorrelation between X-ray fluxes, and ultraviolet and optical fluxes, indicating that during outburst the WD is mostly emitting below 0.1 keV. Conversely, the large strengthening of the He II 4686 Å emission during the October 2003 and July 2005 light maxima indicates a marked increase of the far-UV brightness especially during the early stages of the outbursts. A high energy 0.5-0.6 keV X-ray excess seems to be present both in quiescence and outburst. Conclusions: This is the first time that X-ray spectra of AG Draconis during an active phase are obtained. These data have allowed us to investigate the change of the energy distribution. The anti-correlation between X-ray and optical/ultraviolet emission appears to be a general feature of AG Dra independent of the type and strength of the outburst

  14. ESO imaging survey: optical follow-up of 12 selected XMM-Newton fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dietrich, J. P.; Miralles, J.-M.; Olsen, L. F.; da Costa, L.; Schwope, A.; Benoist, C.; Hambaryan, V.; Mignano, A.; Motch, C.; Rité, C.; Slijkhuis, R.; Tedds, J.; Vandame, B.; Watson, M. G.; Zaggia, S.

    2006-04-01

    This paper presents the data recently released for the XMM-Newton/WFI survey carried out as part of the ESO Imaging Survey (EIS) project. The aim of this survey is to provide optical imaging follow-up data in BVRI for identification of serendipitously detected X-ray sources in selected XMM-Newton fields. In this paper, fully calibrated individual and stacked images of 12 fields as well as science-grade catalogs for the 8 fields located at high-galactic latitude are presented. These products were created, calibrated and released using the infrastructure provided by the EIS Data Reduction system and its associated EIS/MVM image processing engine, both of which are briefly described here. The data covers an area of ~3 square degrees for each of the four passbands. The median seeing as measured in the final stacked images is 0.94 arcsec, ranging from 0.60 arcsec and 1.51 arcsec. The median limiting magnitudes (AB system, 2´´ aperture, 5σ detection limit) are 25.20, 24.92, 24.66, and 24.39 mag for B-, V-, R-, and I-band, respectively. When only the 8 high-galactic latitude fields are included these become 25.33, 25.05, 25.36, and 24.58 mag, in good agreement with the planned depth of the survey. Visual inspection of images and catalogs, comparison of statistics derived from the present data with those obtained by other authors and model predictions, as well as direct comparison of the results obtained from independent reductions of the same data, demonstrate the science-grade quality of the automatically produced final images and catalogs. These survey products, together with their logs, are available to the community for science exploitation in conjunction with their X-ray counterparts. Preliminary results from the X-ray/optical cross-correlation analysis show that about 61% of the detected X-ray point sources in deep XMM-Newton exposures have at least one optical counterpart within 2´´ radius down to R ≃ 25 mag, 50% of which are so faint as to require VLT

  15. XMM-Newton Science Analysis Software: How to Bring New Technologies to Long-life Satellite Missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibarra, A.; Calle, I.; Gabriel, C.; Salgado, J.; Osuna, P.

    2009-09-01

    We present here the beta version of the Remote Interface to SAS Analysis (RISA), a web service-based system that allows users the analysis of XMM-Newton data making use of all of the existing SAS functionalities. RISA takes advantage of GRID architecture to run SAS, achieving high performance in resource management. We are also making the SAS remote analysis compatible with present and future VO standards.

  16. XMM-Newton Proposal 03033401

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghosh, Kajal

    2004-10-01

    We have detected a highly blueshifted (7.6 keV at the source frame) emission feature in the ASCA spectra of the unusual Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy RX J0136.9-3510. At ASCA resolution it is impossible to tell if the feature is a single line or a combination of lines nor if the feature is due to He-like or H-like Fe. The line profile can tell us where the bulk of the emission origin- ates: A low velocity dispersion would favor a wind/outflow origin, while a hi- gher dispersion may allow for an ionized disk reflection origin. Strong absor- ption and resonant scattering could also produce blueshifted line. To acquire better resolution spectrum to constrain the origin of the line via detailed physical modeling, we propose 50 ks XMM-Newton observations of RXJ0136.9-3510.

  17. XMM-Newton detects X-ray 'solar cycle' in distant star

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-05-01

    The Sun as observed by SOHO hi-res Size hi-res: 708 Kb The Sun as observed by SOHO The Sun as observed by the ESA/NASA SOHO observatory near the minimum of the solar cycle (left) and near its maximum (right). The signs of solar activity near the maximum are clearly seen. New XMM-Newton observations suggest that this behaviour may be typical of stars like the Sun, such as HD 81809 in the constellation Hydra. Solar flare - 4 November 2003 The huge flare produced on 4 November 2003 This image of the Sun, obtained by the ESA/NASA SOHO observatory, shows the powerful X-ray flare that took place on 4 November 2003. The associated coronal mass ejection, coming out of the Sun at a speed of 8.2 million kilometres per hour, hit the Earth several hours later and caused disruptions to telecommunication and power distribution lines. New XMM-Newton observations suggest that this behaviour may be typical of stars like the Sun, such as HD 81809 in the constellation Hydra. Since the time Galileo discovered sunspots, in 1610, astronomers have measured their number, size and location on the disc of the Sun. Sunspots are relatively cooler areas on the Sun that are observed as dark patches. Their number rises and falls with the level of activity of the Sun in a cycle of about 11 years. When the Sun is very active, large-scale phenomena take place, such as the flares and coronal mass ejections observed by the ESA/NASA solar observatory SOHO. These events release a large amount of energy and charged particles that hit the Earth and can cause powerful magnetic storms, affecting radio communications, power distribution lines and even our weather and climate. During the solar cycle, the X-ray emission from the Sun varies by a large amount (about a factor of 100) and is strongest when the cycle is at its peak and the surface of the Sun is covered by the largest number of spots. ESA's X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton, has now shown for the first time that this cyclic X-ray behaviour is common to

  18. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XMM-Newton and Chandra monitoring of Sgr A* (Ponti+, 2015)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponti, G.; de, Marco B.; Morris, M. R.; Merloni, A.; Munoz-Darias, T.; Clavel, M.; Haggard, D.; Zhang, S.; Nandra, K.; Gillessen, S.; Mori, K.; Neilsen, J.; Rea, N.; Degenaar, N.; Terrier, R.; Goldwurm, A.

    2018-01-01

    As of 2014 November 11 the XMM-Newton archive contains 37 public observations that can be used for our analysis of Sgr A*. In addition, we consider four new observations aimed at monitoring the interaction between the G2 object and Sgr A*, performed in fall 2014 (see Table A4). A total of 41 XMM-Newton data sets are considered in this work. All the 46 Chandra observations accumulated between 1999 and 2011 and analysed here are obtained with the ACIS-I camera without any gratings on (see Table A1). From 2012 onwards, data from the ACIS-S camera were also employed. The 2012 Chandra "X-ray Visionary Project" (XVP) is composed of 38 High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) observations with the ACIS-S camera at the focus (Nowak et al. 2012ApJ...759...95N; Neilsen et al. 2013ApJ...774...42N; 2015ApJ...799..199N; Wang et al. 2013Sci...341..981W; see Table A2). The first two observations of the 2013 monitoring campaign were performed with the ACIS-I instrument, while the ACIS-S camera was employed in all the remaining observations, after the outburst of SGR J1745-2900 on 2013 April 25. Three observations between 2013 May and July were performed with the HETG on, while all the remaining ones do not employ any gratings (see Table A2). (4 data files).

  19. XMM-Newton studies of the supernova remnant G350.0-2.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Karpova, A.; Shternin, P.; Zyuzin, D.; Danilenko, A.; Shibanov, Yu.

    2016-11-01

    We report the results of XMM-Newton observations of the Galactic mixed-morphology supernova remnant G350.0-2.0. Diffuse thermal X-ray emission fills the north-western part of the remnant surrounded by radio shell-like structures. We did not detect any X-ray counterpart of the latter structures, but found several bright blobs within the diffuse emission. The X-ray spectrum of the most part of the remnant can be described by a collisionally ionized plasma model VAPEC with solar abundances and a temperature of ≈0.8 keV. The solar abundances of plasma indicate that the X-ray emission comes from the shocked interstellar material. The overabundance of Fe was found in some of the bright blobs. We also analysed the brightest point-like X-ray source 1RXS J172653.4-382157 projected on the extended emission. Its spectrum is well described by the two-temperature optically thin thermal plasma model MEKAL typical for cataclysmic variable stars. The cataclysmic variable source nature is supported by the presence of a faint (g ≈ 21) optical source with non-stellar spectral energy distribution at the X-ray position of 1RXS J172653.4-382157. It was detected with the XMM-Newton optical/UV monitor in the U filter and was also found in the archival Hα and optical/near-infrared broad-band sky survey images. On the other hand, the X-ray spectrum is also described by the power law plus thermal component model typical for a rotation powered pulsar. Therefore, the pulsar interpretation of the source cannot be excluded. For this source, we derived the upper limit for the pulsed fraction of 27 per cent.

  20. A long serendipitous XMM-Newton observation of the intermediate polar XY Ari1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zengin Ćamurdan, D.; Balman, Ş.; Burwitz, V.

    2018-07-01

    XY Ari is one of the few known eclipsing intermediate polars. We present results from a detailed analysis of an unpublished archival observation using XMM-Newton EPIC pn and MOS data in a quiescent state of XY Ari. The X-ray orbital modulation and spin-pulse variations were investigated for energy-dependent modulations in different energy bands. The broad orbital modulation observed with various observations was confirmed with XMM-Newton in the hard X-ray (>1.6 keV). The EPIC light curves folded at the spin phases show a double-peak profile, as expected from two-pole accretion. The pulse profile is found to be energy-dependent. Hardness-ratio variations and energy modulation depth during spin modulation can be explained by photoelectric absorption. The simultaneously fitted EPIC spectra with a multi-temperature plasma emission model (CEVMKL) model yield a maximum plasma temperature of 28^{+3.1}_{-2.9} keV with an iron abundance Fe/Fe_{⊙}=0.37^{+0.06}_{-0.05}. We find two intrinsic partial covering absorption columns of 6.2^{+1.0}_{-0.9} × 10^{22} and 105.3^{+35.4}_{-30.4} × 10^{22} cm^{-2} with covering fractions of 0.53^{+0.05}_{-0.04}, 0.41^{+0.14}_{-0.13}, respectively. In addition, a Gaussian emission line at 6.43^{+0.01}_{-0.02} keV with an equivalent width of 51^{+12}_{-10} eV is required to account for fluorescent emission from neutral iron. The X-ray luminosity of the source is 4.2 × 1032 erg s-1 in the 0.2-10.0 keV energy band.

  1. The XXL Survey. I. Scientific motivations - XMM-Newton observing plan - Follow-up observations and simulation programme

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierre, M.; Pacaud, F.; Adami, C.; Alis, S.; Altieri, B.; Baran, N.; Benoist, C.; Birkinshaw, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Bremer, M. N.; Brusa, M.; Butler, A.; Ciliegi, P.; Chiappetti, L.; Clerc, N.; Corasaniti, P. S.; Coupon, J.; De Breuck, C.; Democles, J.; Desai, S.; Delhaize, J.; Devriendt, J.; Dubois, Y.; Eckert, D.; Elyiv, A.; Ettori, S.; Evrard, A.; Faccioli, L.; Farahi, A.; Ferrari, C.; Finet, F.; Fotopoulou, S.; Fourmanoit, N.; Gandhi, P.; Gastaldello, F.; Gastaud, R.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Giles, P.; Guennou, L.; Guglielmo, V.; Horellou, C.; Husband, K.; Huynh, M.; Iovino, A.; Kilbinger, M.; Koulouridis, E.; Lavoie, S.; Le Brun, A. M. C.; Le Fevre, J. P.; Lidman, C.; Lieu, M.; Lin, C. A.; Mantz, A.; Maughan, B. J.; Maurogordato, S.; McCarthy, I. G.; McGee, S.; Melin, J. B.; Melnyk, O.; Menanteau, F.; Novak, M.; Paltani, S.; Plionis, M.; Poggianti, B. M.; Pomarede, D.; Pompei, E.; Ponman, T. J.; Ramos-Ceja, M. E.; Ranalli, P.; Rapetti, D.; Raychaudury, S.; Reiprich, T. H.; Rottgering, H.; Rozo, E.; Rykoff, E.; Sadibekova, T.; Santos, J.; Sauvageot, J. L.; Schimd, C.; Sereno, M.; Smith, G. P.; Smolčić, V.; Snowden, S.; Spergel, D.; Stanford, S.; Surdej, J.; Valageas, P.; Valotti, A.; Valtchanov, I.; Vignali, C.; Willis, J.; Ziparo, F.

    2016-06-01

    Context. The quest for the cosmological parameters that describe our universe continues to motivate the scientific community to undertake very large survey initiatives across the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the past two decades, the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories have supported numerous studies of X-ray-selected clusters of galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the X-ray background. The present paper is the first in a series reporting results of the XXL-XMM survey; it comes at a time when the Planck mission results are being finalised. Aims: We present the XXL Survey, the largest XMM programme totaling some 6.9 Ms to date and involving an international consortium of roughly 100 members. The XXL Survey covers two extragalactic areas of 25 deg2 each at a point-source sensitivity of ~5 × 10-15 erg s-1 cm-2 in the [0.5-2] keV band (completeness limit). The survey's main goals are to provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state from the space-time distribution of clusters of galaxies and to serve as a pathfinder for future, wide-area X-ray missions. We review science objectives, including cluster studies, AGN evolution, and large-scale structure, that are being conducted with the support of approximately 30 follow-up programmes. Methods: We describe the 542 XMM observations along with the associated multi-λ and numerical simulation programmes. We give a detailed account of the X-ray processing steps and describe innovative tools being developed for the cosmological analysis. Results: The paper provides a thorough evaluation of the X-ray data, including quality controls, photon statistics, exposure and background maps, and sky coverage. Source catalogue construction and multi-λ associations are briefly described. This material will be the basis for the calculation of the cluster and AGN selection functions, critical elements of the cosmological and science analyses. Conclusions: The XXL multi-λ data set will have a unique lasting legacy

  2. Joint XMM-Newton, Chandra, and RXTE Observations of Cyg X-1 at Phase Zero

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pottschmidt, Katja

    2008-01-01

    We present first results of simultaneous observations of the high mass X-ray binary Cyg X-1 for 50 ks with XMM-Newton, Chandra-HETGS and RXTE in 2008 April. The observations are centered on phase 0 of the 5.6 d orbit when pronounced dips in the X-ray emission from the black hole are known to occur. The dips are due to highly variable absorption in the accretion stream from the O-star companion to the black hole. Compared to previous high resolution spectroscopy studies of the dip and non-dip emission with Chandra, the addition of XMM-Newton data allows for a better determination of the continuum, especially through the broad iron line region (with RXTE constraining the greater than 10 keV continuum).

  3. XMM-Newton confirmation of a new intermediate polar: XMMU J185330.7-012815

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hui, C. Y.; Sriram, K.; Choi, C.-S.

    2012-01-01

    We report on the results of a detailed spectro-imaging and temporal analysis of an archival XMM-Newton observation of a new intermediate polar XMMU J185330.7-012815. Its X-ray spectrum can be well described by a multitemperature thermal plasma model with the K lines of heavy elements clearly detected. Possible counterparts of XMMU J185330.7-012815 have been identified in optical and ultraviolet (UV) bands. The low values of the inferred X-ray-to-UV and X-ray-to-optical flux ratios safely rule out the possibility of its being an isolated neutron star. We confirm the X-ray periodicity of ˜238 s but, differently from the previous preliminary results, we do not find any convincing evidence of phase shift in this observation. We further investigate its properties through an energy-resolved temporal analysis and find that the pulsed fraction monotonically increases with energy.

  4. XMM-Newton X-ray spectra of V407 Lup (Nova Lup 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ness, Jan-Uwe; Starrfield, Sumner; Woodward, Chick E.; Kuin, Paul; Page, Kim; Beardmore, Andy; Osborne, Julian; Sala, Gloria; Hernanz, Margarita; Orio, Marina; Williams, Bob

    2017-09-01

    Nova Lup 2016 (V407 Lup) was observed by XMM-Newton from 11 March 2017, 11:45 to 17:08 UT, 168 days after outburst (ATel #9538) with an exposure duration of 23,000 s. The EPIC pn was operated in Timing Mode with Medium filter.

  5. A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: III. Impact of the magnetospheric environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghizzardi, Simona; Marelli, Martino; Salvetti, David; Gastaldello, Fabio; Molendi, Silvano; De Luca, Andrea; Moretti, Alberto; Rossetti, Mariachiara; Tiengo, Andrea

    2017-12-01

    A detailed characterization of the particle induced background is fundamental for many of the scientific objectives of the Athena X-ray telescope, thus an adequate knowledge of the background that will be encountered by Athena is desirable. Current X-ray telescopes have shown that the intensity of the particle induced background can be highly variable. Different regions of the magnetosphere can have very different environmental conditions, which can, in principle, differently affect the particle induced background detected by the instruments. We present results concerning the influence of the magnetospheric environment on the background detected by EPIC instrument onboard XMM-Newton through the estimate of the variation of the in-Field-of-View background excess along the XMM-Newton orbit. An important contribution to the XMM background, which may affect the Athena background as well, comes from soft proton flares. Along with the flaring component a low-intensity component is also present. We find that both show modest variations in the different magnetozones and that the soft proton component shows a strong trend with the distance from Earth.

  6. Using XMM-Newton and Optical Photometry to Figure Out CVs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szkody, P.; Homer, L.; Henden, A.

    2006-06-01

    X-ray light curves from XMM-Newton combined with optical data from the satellite and ground-based observers provide distinctive shapes and periodicities that give information on the correct classification of cataclysmic variables. Our recent data on three SDSS sources with strong helium emission are used to identify a highly magnetic system (a polar), the spin of the white dwarf in an intermediate polar, and a typical disk accreting system.

  7. The NGC 4839 group falling into the Coma cluster observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Neumann, D. M.; Arnaud, M.; Gastaud, R.; Aghanim, N.; Lumb, D.; Briel, U. G.; Vestrand, W. T.; Stewart, G. C.; Molendi, S.; Mittaz, J. P. D.

    2001-01-01

    We present here the first analysis of the XMM-Newton EPIC-MOS data of the galaxy group around NGC 4839, which lies at a projected distance to the Coma cluster center of 1.6h50-1 Mpc. In our analysis, which includes imaging, spectro-imaging and spectroscopy we find compelling evidence for the sub group being on its first infall onto the Coma cluster. The complex temperature structure around NGC 4839 is consistent with simulations of galaxies falling into a cluster environment. We see indications of a bow shock and of ram pressure stripping around NGC 4839. Furthermore our data reveal a displacement between NGC 4839 and the center of the hot gas in the group of about 300h50-1 kpc. With a simple approximation we can explain this displacement by the pressure force originating from the infall, which acts much stronger on the group gas than on the galaxies. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA). EPIC was developed by the EPIC Consortium led by the Principal Investigator, Dr. M. J. L. Turner. The consortium comprises the following Institutes: University of Leicester, University of Birmingham, (UK); CEA/Saclay, IAS Orsay, CESR Toulouse, (France); IAAP Tuebingen, MPE Garching, (Germany); IFC Milan, ITESRE Bologna, IAUP Palermo, Italy. EPIC is funded by: PPARC, CEA, CNES, DLR and ASI.

  8. ESA study of XEUS, a potential follow-on to XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rando, N.; Lyngvi, A.; Gondoin, P.; Lumb, D.; Bavdaz, M.; Verhoeve, P.; de Wilde, D.; Parmar, A.; Peacock, A.

    2017-11-01

    In October 2005, based on a massive response by the Science Community to ESA's call for themes in space science, a large aperture X-ray Observatory (XRO) was identified as a candidate project for Europe within the frame of the 2015-2025 Cosmic Vision program. Such a mission would represent the natural follow-on to XMM Newton, providing a large aperture X-ray telescope combined with high spectral and time resolution instruments, capable of investigating matter under extreme conditions and the evolution of the early universe. The paper summarises the results of the most recent ESA internal study activities, leading to an updated mission configuration, with a mirror and a detector spacecraft flying in formation around L2 and a consolidated scientific payload design. The paper also describes the ongoing technology development activities for the payload and for the spacecraft that will play a crucial role in case ESA would decide to develop such a mission.

  9. Exospheric Neutral Density at the Earth's subsolar magnetopause deduced from the XMM-Newton X-ray observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Connor, H. K.; Carter, J. A.

    2017-12-01

    Soft X-rays can be emitted when highly charged solar wind ions and exospheric neutrals exchange electrons. Astrophysics missions, such as XMM-Newton and ROSAT X-ray telescopes, have found that such solar wind charge exchange happens at the Earth's exosphere. The Earth's magnetosphere can be imaged via soft X-rays in order to understand its interaction with solar wind. Consequently, two soft X-ray telescope missions (CuPID and SMILE) are scheduled to launch in 2019 and 2021. They will provide wide field-of-view soft X-ray images of the Earth's dayside magnetosphere. The imagers will track the location and movement of the cusps, magnetopause, and bow shock in response to solar wind variations. To support these missions, an understanding of exospheric neutral density profile is needed. The neutral density is one of the controlling factors of soft X-ray signals. Strong neutral density can help to obtain high-resolution and high-cadence of soft X-ray images. In this study, we estimate the exospheric neutral density at 10 RE subsolar point using XMM X-ray observations, Cluster plasma observations, and OpenGGCM global magnetosphere - ionosphere MHD model. XMM-Newton observes line-of-sight, narrow field-of-view, integrated soft X-ray emissions when it looks through the dayside magnetosphere. OpenGGCM reproduces soft X-ray signals seen by the XMM spacecraft, assuming exospheric neutral density as a function of the neutral density at the 10RE subsolar point and the radial distance. Cluster observations are used to confirm OpenGGCM plasma results. Finally, we deduce the neutral density at 10 RE subsolar point by adjusting the model results to the XMM-Newton soft X-ray observations.

  10. The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feigelson, Eric; Guedel, M.

    2007-12-01

    The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud is an exceptionally large and growing X-ray survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC). Now comprising 31 1/2-degree diameter fields, observed with the three XMM-Newton EPIC cameras. High-resolution spectroscopy has been obtained for about ten T Tauri stars (TTS) with the RGS instruments, and the Optical Monitor secured an optical/UV survey. XEST detects essentially the entire surveyed TTS population of the TMC in X-rays including about half of the observed (8/16) brown dwarfs and Class I protostars (8/20). Several new candidate members are identified. The X-ray luminosity (LX) of TTS shows related correlations with both stellar bolometric luminosity and mass. Classical TTS show suppressed X-ray output in the CCD band by a factor of about 2. These statistical results confirm results from other star formation regions. Different from previous reports on TMC, XEST identifies no activity-rotation relation. Brown dwarfs are found to follow trends set by TTS, both for accreting and non-accreting objects. But a decrease of the fractional luminosity, LX/Lbol, is seen with decreasing mass indicating weakened heating efficiency in the substellar domain. XEST reports five members of the class of "Two-Absorber X-Ray" (TAX) sources which reveal a double-peaked spectrum originating from two unrelated sources with different absorption column densities. The softer emission is thought to be related to jets, as explicitly seen in DG Tau. RGS spectroscopy shows a systematic "X-ray soft excess" in classical TTS, suggesting excessive cool (1-2 MK) plasma due to accretion, although the excess seems to correlate with magnetic activity as well. XEST has been supported by the Space Science Institute (Bern/Switz.).

  11. The peculiar isolated neutron star in the Carina Nebula. Deep XMM-Newton and ESO-VLT observations of 2XMM J104608.7-594306

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pires, A. M.; Motch, C.; Turolla, R.; Schwope, A.; Pilia, M.; Treves, A.; Popov, S. B.; Janot-Pacheco, E.

    2012-08-01

    these new results in the light of the observed properties of the currently known neutron star population, in particular those of standard rotation-powered pulsars, recycled objects, and CCOs. We find that none of these scenarios can satisfactorily explain the collective properties of 2XMM J104608.7-594306, although it may be related to the still poorly known class of Galactic anti-magnetars. Future XMM-Newton data, granted for the next cycle of observations (AO11), will help us to improve our currentobservational interpretation of the source, enabling us to significantly constrain the rate of pulsar spin down. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA (Target 2XMM J104608.7-594306, obsid 0650840101). Optical observations were performed at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile, under programme IDs 382.D-0687(A) and 385.D-0209(A).

  12. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XMM-Newton FOV brightest serendipitous sources (Marelli+, 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marelli, M.; Pizzocaro, D.; de, Luca A.; Gastaldello, F.; Caraveo, P.; Parkinson, P. S.

    2018-02-01

    Our deep XMM-Newton observation of PSR J2055+2539, lasting 136.2 ks, was performed on 2013 May 1 (ObsID 0724090101). The PN camera (Struder et al. 2001AJ....121.1413P) of the EPIC instrument was operating in Large Window mode, with a time resolution of 47.7 ms on a 27'x13' field of view (FOV). The high time resolution, combined with the large FOV, allows for both the timing analysis of the J2055 pulsar and the spatial analysis of the nebular structures. The Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) detectors (Turner et al. 2001A&A...365L..27T) were set in full-frame mode (2.6 s time resolution on a 15' radius FOV). The thin optical filter was used for both PN and MOSs. We also analyzed XMM-Newton observations 0605470401 and 0605470901, taken on 2009 October 26 and on 2010 April 21, and lasting 24.5 and 17.9 ks, respectively. (1 data file).

  13. TESTING RELATIVISTIC REFLECTION AND RESOLVING OUTFLOWS IN PG 1211+143 WITH XMM-NEWTON AND NuSTAR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lobban, A. P.; Pounds, K.; Vaughan, S.

    We analyze the broad-band X-ray spectrum (0.3–50 keV) of the luminous Seyfert 1/quasar PG 1211+143—the archetypal source for high-velocity X-ray outflows—using near-simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations. We compare pure relativistic reflection models with a model including the strong imprint of photoionized emission and absorption from a high-velocity wind, finding a spectral fit that extrapolates well over the higher photon energies covered by NuSTAR . Inclusion of the high signal-to-noise ratio XMM-Newton spectrum provides much tighter constraints on the model parameters, with a much harder photon index/lower reflection fraction compared to that from the NuSTAR data alone. We show that puremore » relativistic reflection models are not able to account for the spectral complexity of PG 1211+143 and that wind absorption models are strongly required to match the data in both the soft X-ray and Fe K spectral regions. In confirming the significance of previously reported ionized absorption features, the new analysis provides a further demonstration of the power of combining the high throughput and resolution of long-look XMM-Newton observations with the unprecedented spectral coverage of NuSTAR .« less

  14. XMM-Newton Observations of MBM 12: More Constraints on the Solar Wind Charge Exchange and Local Bubble Emissions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koutroumpa, Dimitra; Smith, Randall K.; Edgar, Richard J.; Kuntz, Kip D.; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Snowden, Steven L.

    2010-01-01

    We present the first analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the nearby molecular cloud MBM 12. We find that in the direction of MBM 12 the total O VII (0.57 keV) triplet emission is 1.8(+0.5/-0.6) photons/sq cm/s/sr (or Line Units - LU) while for the O VIII (0.65 keV) line emission we find a 3(sigma) upper limit of <1 LU. We also use a heliospheric model to calculate the O VII and O VIII emission generated by Solar Wind Charge-eXchange (SWCX) which we compare to the XMM-Newton observations. This comparison provides new constraints on the relative heliospheric and Local Bubble contributions to the local diffuse X-ray background. The heliospheric SWCX model predicts 0.82 LU for O VII, which accounts for approx. 46+/-15% of the observed value, and 0.33 LU for the O VIII line emission consistent with the XMM-Newton observed value. We discuss our results in combination with previous observations of the MBM 12 with CHANDRA and Suzaku.

  15. XMM-Newton study of the supersoft symbiotic system Draco C1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saeedi, Sara; Sasaki, Manami; Ducci, Lorenzo

    2018-01-01

    We present the results of the analysis of thirty-one XMM-Newton observations of the symbiotic star Draco C1 located in the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. This object had been identified as a supersoft source based on ROSAT data. We analysed X-ray, ultraviolet (UV) and optical data taken with XMM-Newton in order to obtain the physical parameters and the geometry of the system. We have also performed the first X-ray timing analysis of Draco C1. The X-ray spectrum is well fitted with a blackbody model with a temperature of (1.8 ± 0.3) × 105 K. We obtained a bolometric luminosity of ≳1038 erg s-1 for the white dwarf. The X-ray spectrum and luminosity suggest stable nuclear burning on the surface of the white dwarf. The low column density derived from the X-ray spectrum is consistent with the lack of nebular lines found in previous UV studies. The long-term variability in the optical and the UV suggests that the system is not observed face-on and that the variability is caused by the reflection effect. For the red giant companion, we estimate a radius of ∼110 R⊙ and an upper limit ≲1.5 M⊙ for its mass assuming Roche lobe overflow.

  16. XMM-NEWTON SLEW SURVEY OBSERVATIONS OF THE GRAVITATIONAL WAVE EVENT GW150914

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Troja, E.; Read, A. M.; Tiengo, A.

    The detection of the first gravitational wave (GW) transient GW150914 prompted an extensive campaign of follow-up observations at all wavelengths. Although no dedicated XMM-Newton observations have been performed, the satellite passed through the GW150914 error region during normal operations. Here we report the analysis of the data taken during these satellite slews performed two hours and two weeks after the GW event. Our data cover 1.1 and 4.8 deg{sup 2} of the final GW localization region. No X-ray counterpart to GW150914 is found down to a sensitivity of 6 × 10{sup −13} erg cm{sup −2} s{sup −1} in the 0.2–2more » keV band. Nevertheless, these observations show the great potential of XMM-Newton slew observations for searching for the electromagnetic counterparts of GW events. A series of adjacent slews performed in response to a GW trigger would take ≲1.5 days to cover most of the typical GW credible region. We discuss this scenario and its prospects for detecting the X-ray counterpart of future GW detections.« less

  17. The Properties of the Diffuse X-ray Background from the DXL sounding rocket mission (plus ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Suzaku data)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Galeazzi, Massimiliano

    2017-08-01

    Understanding the properties of the different components of the Diffuse X-ray Background (DXB) is made particularly difficult by their similar spectral signature.The University of Miami has been working on disentangling the different DXB components for many years, using a combination of proprietary and archival data from XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and Chandra, and a sounding rocket mission (DXL) specifically designed to study the properties of Local Hot Bubble (LHB) and Solar Wind Charge eXchange (SWCX) using their spatial signature. In this talk we will present:(a) Results from the DXL mission, specifically launch #2, to study the properties of the SWCX and LHB (and GH) and their contribution to the ROSAT All Sky Survey Bands(b) Results from a Suzaku key project to characterize the SWCX and build a semi-empirical model to predict the SWCX line emission for any time, any direction. A publicly available web portal for the model will go online by the end of the year(c) Results from XMM-Newton deep surveys to study the angular correlation of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium (WHIM) in the direction of the Chandra Deep Field South.DXL launch #3, schedule for January 2018 and the development of the DXG sounding rocket mission to characterize the GH-CGM emission using newly developed micropore optics will also be discussed.

  18. The XMM-Newton bright serendipitous survey. Identification and optical spectral properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caccianiga, A.; Severgnini, P.; Della Ceca, R.; Maccacaro, T.; Cocchia, F.; Barcons, X.; Carrera, F. J.; Matute, I.; McMahon, R. G.; Page, M. J.; Pietsch, W.; Sbarufatti, B.; Schwope, A.; Tedds, J. A.; Watson, M. G.

    2008-01-01

    Aims:We present the optical classification and redshift of 348 X-ray selected sources from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (XBS), which contains a total of 400 objects (identification level = 87%). About 240 are new identifications. In particular, we discuss in detail the classification criteria adopted for the active galactic nuclei (AGNs) population. Methods: By means of systematic spectroscopic campaigns using various telescopes and through the literature search, we have collected an optical spectrum for the large majority of the sources in the XBS survey and applied a well-defined classification “flow chart”. Results: We find that the AGNs represent the most numerous population at the flux limit of the XBS survey (~10-13 erg cm-2 s-1) constituting 80% of the XBS sources selected in the 0.5-4.5 keV energy band and 95% of the “hard” (4.5-7.5 keV) selected objects. Galactic sources populate the 0.5-4.5 keV sample significantly (17%) and only marginally (3%) the 4.5-7.5 keV sample. The remaining sources in both samples are clusters/groups of galaxies and normal galaxies (i.e. probably not powered by an AGN). Furthermore, the percentage of type 2 AGNs (i.e. optically absorbed AGNs with A_V>2 mag) dramatically increases going from the 0.5-4.5 keV sample (f=NAGN 2/N_AGN=7%) to the 4.5-7.5 keV sample (f=32%). We finally propose two simple diagnostic plots that can be easily used to obtain the spectral classification for relatively low-redshift AGNs even if the quality of the spectrum is not good. Based on observations collected at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) and at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA). Table 3 is only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  19. Studying The Spectral Shape And The X-ray/uv Variability Of Active Galactic Nuclei With Data From Swift And Xmm Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turriziani, Sara

    2011-01-01

    Many efforts have been made in understanding the underlying origin of variability in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), but at present they could give still no conclusive answers. Since a deeper knowledge of variability will enable to understand better the accretion process onto supermassive black holes, I built the first ensemble struction function analysis of the X-ray variability of samples of quasars with data from Swift and XMM-Newton archives in order to study the average properties of their variability. Moreover, it is known that UV and X-ray luminosities of quasars are correlated and recent studies quantified this relation across 5 orders of magnitude. In this context, I presents results on the X-ray/UV ratio from simultaneous observations in UV and X-ray bands of a sample of quasars with data from XMM-Newton archive. Lastly, I will present a complete sample of Swift/SDSS faint blazars and other non-thermal dominated AGNs. I used this sample to calculate the general statistical properties of faint blazars and radio galaxies and in particular their Radio LogN-LogS with fluxes down to 10 mJy, in order to gain knowledge on the contribution to Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) and gamma-ray background radiation from the faint tail of the radio population. I acknowledge financial support through Grant ASI I/088/06/0.

  20. The XMM Cluster Survey: X-ray analysis methodology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lloyd-Davies, E. J.; Romer, A. Kathy; Mehrtens, Nicola; Hosmer, Mark; Davidson, Michael; Sabirli, Kivanc; Mann, Robert G.; Hilton, Matt; Liddle, Andrew R.; Viana, Pedro T. P.; Campbell, Heather C.; Collins, Chris A.; Dubois, E. Naomi; Freeman, Peter; Harrison, Craig D.; Hoyle, Ben; Kay, Scott T.; Kuwertz, Emma; Miller, Christopher J.; Nichol, Robert C.; Sahlén, Martin; Stanford, S. A.; Stott, John P.

    2011-11-01

    The XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) is a serendipitous search for galaxy clusters using all publicly available data in the XMM-Newton Science Archive. Its main aims are to measure cosmological parameters and trace the evolution of X-ray scaling relations. In this paper we describe the data processing methodology applied to the 5776 XMM observations used to construct the current XCS source catalogue. A total of 3675 > 4σ cluster candidates with >50 background-subtracted X-ray counts are extracted from a total non-overlapping area suitable for cluster searching of 410 deg2. Of these, 993 candidates are detected with >300 background-subtracted X-ray photon counts, and we demonstrate that robust temperature measurements can be obtained down to this count limit. We describe in detail the automated pipelines used to perform the spectral and surface brightness fitting for these candidates, as well as to estimate redshifts from the X-ray data alone. A total of 587 (122) X-ray temperatures to a typical accuracy of <40 (<10) per cent have been measured to date. We also present the methodology adopted for determining the selection function of the survey, and show that the extended source detection algorithm is robust to a range of cluster morphologies by inserting mock clusters derived from hydrodynamical simulations into real XMMimages. These tests show that the simple isothermal β-profiles is sufficient to capture the essential details of the cluster population detected in the archival XMM observations. The redshift follow-up of the XCS cluster sample is presented in a companion paper, together with a first data release of 503 optically confirmed clusters.

  1. Identification of high-mass X-ray binaries selected from XMM-Newton observations of the LMC★

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Jaarsveld, N.; Buckley, D. A. H.; McBride, V. A.; Haberl, F.; Vasilopoulos, G.; Maitra, C.; Udalski, A.; Miszalski, B.

    2018-04-01

    The Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) currently hosts around 23 high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) of which most are Be/X-ray binaries. The LMC XMM-Newton survey provided follow-up observations of previously known X-ray sources that were likely HMXBs, as well as identifying new HMXB candidates. In total, 19 candidate HMXBs were selected based on their X-ray hardness ratios. In this paper we present red and blue optical spectroscopy, obtained with Southern African Large Telescope and the South African Astronomical Observatory 1.9-m telescope, plus a timing analysis of the long-term optical light curves from OGLE to confirm the nature of these candidates. We find that nine of the candidates are new Be/X-ray binaries, substantially increasing the LMC Be/X-ray binary population. Furthermore, we present the optical properties of these new systems, both individually and as a group of all the BeXBs identified by the XMM-Newton survey of the LMC.

  2. HEASARC - The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smale, Alan P.

    2011-01-01

    The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) is NASA's archive for high-energy astrophysics and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, supporting the broad science goals of NASA's Physics of the Cosmos theme. It provides vital scientific infrastructure to the community by standardizing science data formats and analysis programs, providing open access to NASA resources, and implementing powerful archive interfaces. Over the next five years the HEASARC will ingest observations from up to 12 operating missions, while serving data from these and over 30 archival missions to the community. The HEASARC archive presently contains over 37 TB of data, and will contain over 60 TB by the end of 2014. The HEASARC continues to secure major cost savings for NASA missions, providing a reusable mission-independent framework for reducing, analyzing, and archiving data. This approach was recognized in the NRC Portals to the Universe report (2007) as one of the HEASARC's great strengths. This poster describes the past and current activities of the HEASARC and our anticipated developments in coming years. These include preparations to support upcoming high energy missions (NuSTAR, Astro-H, GEMS) and ground-based and sub-orbital CMB experiments, as well as continued support of missions currently operating (Chandra, Fermi, RXTE, Suzaku, Swift, XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL). In 2012 the HEASARC (which now includes LAMBDA) will support the final nine-year WMAP data release. The HEASARC is also upgrading its archive querying and retrieval software with the new Xamin system in early release - and building on opportunities afforded by the growth of the Virtual Observatory and recent developments in virtual environments and cloud computing.

  3. First XMM-Newton Observations of an Isolated Neutron Star: RXJ0720.4-3125

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paerels, Frits; Mori, Kaya; Motch, Christian; Haberl, Frank; Zavlin, Vyacheslav E.; Zane, Silvia; Ramsay, Gavin; Cropper, Mark

    2000-01-01

    We present the high resolution spectrum of the isolated neutron star RXJ0720.4-3125, obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on XMM-Newton, complemented with the broad band spectrum observed with the EPIC PN camera. The spectrum appears smooth, with no evidence for strong photospheric absorption or emission features. We briefly discuss the implications of our failure to detect structure in the spectrum.

  4. ESA's XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2005-01-01

    hi-res Size hi-res: 715 Kb Credits: NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital ESA’s XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole Click here for animation in MOV format Movie still in TIFF format (9761 Kb) Movie still in JPG format (715 Kb) This animation depicts three hot chunks of matter orbiting a black hole. If placed in our Solar System, this black hole would appear like a dark abyss spread out nearly as wide as Mercury's orbit. And the three chunks (each as large as the Sun) would be as far out as Jupiter. They orbit the black hole in a lightning-quick 30 000 kilometres per second, over a tenth of the speed of light. hi-res Size hi-res: 220 Kb Credits: NASA/Dana Berry, SkyWorks Digital ESA’s XMM-Newton sees matter speed-racing around a black hole Click here for animation in MPG format Movie still in TIFF format (2553 Kb) Movie still in JPG format (220 Kb) This is a simplified illustration of two hot chunks of matter orbiting a black hole, showing how scientists tracked the blobs by observing their Doppler shift. First, we see one blob. Note how the energy emitted from this orbiting material rises to about 6.5 kilo-electron volt (an energy unit) as it moves towards us, and then falls to about 5.8 kilo-electron volt as it moves away. This is the 'Doppler effect' and a similar phenomenon happens with the changing pitch of a police siren. If it is approaching, the frequency of the sound is higher, but if it is receding the frequency is lower. Matter goes round and round; energy goes up and down. About 14 seconds into the animation, a second blob is added, which also displays a rise and fall in energy during its orbit. The observation, made with ESA’s XMM-Newton observatory, marks the first time scientists could trace individual blobs of shredded matter on a complete journey around a black hole. This provides a crucial measurement that has long been missing from black hole studies: an orbital period. Knowing this, scientists can measure black hole mass and

  5. The Reflection Grating Spectrometer on Board XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    denHerder, J. W.; Brinkman, A. C.; Kahn, S. M.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Thomsen, K.; Aarts, H.; Audard, M.; Bixler, J. V.; denBoggende, A. J.

    2000-01-01

    The ESA X-ray Multi Mirror mission, XMM-Newton, carries two identical Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) behind two of its three nested sets of Wolter I type mirrors. The instrument allows high-resolution (E/(Delta)E = 100 to 500) measurements in the soft X-ray range (6 to 38 A or 2.1 to 0.3 keV) with a maximum effective area of about 140 sq cm at 15 A. Its design is optimized for the detection of the K-shell transitions of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon. as well as the L shell transitions of iron. The present paper gives a full description of the design of the RGS and its operational modes. We also review details of the calibrations and in-orbit performance including the line spread function, the wavelength calibration, the effective area, and the instrumental background.

  6. Non-thermal emission in the core of Perseus: results from a long XMM-Newton observation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Molendi, S.; Gastaldello, F.

    2009-01-01

    We employ a long XMM-Newton observation of the core of the Perseus cluster to validate claims of a non-thermal component discovered with Chandra. From a meticulous analysis of our dataset, which includes a detailed treatment of systematic errors, we find the 2-10 keV surface brightness of the non-thermal component to be less than about 5 × 10-16 erg~cm-2 s-1 arcsec-2. The most likely explanation for the discrepancy between the XMM-Newton and Chandra estimates is a problem in the effective area calibration of the latter. Our EPIC-based magnetic field lower limits do not disagree with Faraday rotation measure estimates on a few cool cores and with a minimum energy estimate on Perseus. In the not too distant future Simbol-X may allow detection of non-thermal components with intensities more than 10 times lower than those that can be measured with EPIC; nonetheless even the exquisite sensitivity within reach for Simbol-X might be insufficient to detect the IC emission from Perseus.

  7. RISA: Remote Interface for Science Analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gabriel, C.; Ibarra, A.; de La Calle, I.; Salgado, J.; Osuna, P.; Tapiador, D.

    2008-08-01

    The Scientific Analysis System (SAS) is the package for interactive and pipeline data reduction of all XMM-Newton data. Freely distributed by ESA to run under many different operating systems, the SAS has been used by almost every one of the 1600 refereed scientific publications obtained so far from the mission. We are developing RISA, the Remote Interface for Science Analysis, which makes it possible to run SAS through fully configurable web service workflows, enabling observers to access and analyse data making use of all of the existing SAS functionalities, without any installation/download of software/data. The workflows run primarily but not exclusively on the ESAC Grid, which offers scalable processing resources, directly connected to the XMM-Newton Science Archive. A first project internal version of RISA was issued in May 2007, a public release is expected already within this year.

  8. The XXL Survey I. Scientific Motivations - Xmm-Newton Observing Plan - Follow-up Observations and Simulation Programme

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pierre, M.; Pacaud, F.; Adami, C.; Alis, S.; Altieri, B.; Baran, N.; Benoist, C.; Birkinshaw, M.; Bongiorno, A.; Bremer, M. N.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The quest for the cosmological parameters that describe our universe continues to motivate the scientific community to undertake very large survey initiatives across the electromagnetic spectrum. Over the past two decades, the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories have supported numerous studies of X-ray-selected clusters of galaxies, active galactic nuclei (AGNs), and the X-ray background. The present paper is the first in a series reporting results of the XXL-XMM survey; it comes at a time when the Planck mission results are being finalized. Aims. We present the XXL Survey, the largest XMM programme totaling some 6.9 Ms to date and involving an international consortium of roughly 100 members. The XXL Survey covers two extragalactic areas of 25 deg2 each at a point-source sensitivity of approx. 5 x 10(exp 15) erg/s/sq cm in the [0.5-2] keV band (completeness limit). The surveys main goals are to provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state from the space-time-distribution of clusters of galaxies and to serve as a pathfinder for future, wide-area X-ray missions. We review science objectives, including cluster studies, AGN evolution, and large-scale structure, that are being conducted with the support of approximately 30 follow-up programs. Methods. We describe the 542 XMM observations along with the associated multi- and numerical simulation programmes. We give a detailed account of the X-ray processing steps and describe innovative tools being developed for the cosmological analysis. Results. The paper provides a thorough evaluation of the X-ray data, including quality controls, photon statistics, exposure and background maps, and sky coverage. Source catalogue construction and multi-associations are briefly described. This material will be the basis for the calculation of the cluster and AGN selection functions, critical elements of the cosmological and science analyses. Conclusions. The XXL multi- data set will have a unique lasting legacy value for

  9. CHEERS: Chemical enrichment of clusters of galaxies measured using a large XMM-Newton sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Plaa, J.; Mernier, F.; Kaastra, J.; Pinto, C.

    2017-10-01

    The Chemical Enrichment RGS Sample (CHEERS) is aimed to be a sample of the most optimal clusters of galaxies for observation with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) aboard XMM-Newton. It consists of 5 Ms of deep cluster observations of 44 objects obtained through a very large program and archival observations. The main goal is to measure chemical abundances in the hot Intra-Cluster Medium (ICM) of clusters to provide constraints on chemical evolution models. Especially the origin and evolution of type Ia supernovae is still poorly known and X-ray observations could contribute to constrain models regarding the SNIa explosion mechanism. Due to the high quality of the data, the uncertainties on the abundances are dominated by systematic effects. By carefully treating each systematic effect, we increase the accuracy or estimate the remaining uncertainty on the measurement. The resulting abundances are then compared to supernova models. In addition, also radial abundance profiles are derived. In the talk, we present an overview of the results that the CHEERS collaboration obtained based on the CHEERS data. We focus on the abundance measurements. The other topics range from turbulence measurements through line broadening to cool gas in groups.

  10. Investigating the galactic Supernova Remnant Kes 78 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miceli, M.; Bamba, A.; Orlando, S.; Bocchino, F.

    2016-06-01

    The galactic supernova remnant Kes 78 is associated with a HESS gamma-ray source and its X-ray emission has been recently revealed by Suzaku observations which have found indications for a hard X-ray component in the spectra. We analyzed an XMM-Newton EPIC observation of Kes 78 and studied the spatial distribution of the physical and chemical properties of the X-ray emitting plasma. The EPIC data unveiled a very complex morphology for the soft X-ray emission. We performed image analysis and spatially resolved spectral analysis finding indications for the interaction of the remnant with a local molecular cloud. Finally, we investigated the origin of the hard X-ray emitting component.

  11. Investigating the Galactic supernova remnant Kes 78 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miceli, Marco; Bamba, Aya; Orlando, Salvatore; Bocchino, Fabrizio

    2016-06-01

    The galactic supernova remnant Kes 78 is associated with a HESS gamma-ray source and its X-ray emission has been recently revealed by Suzaku observations which have found indications for a hard X-ray component in the spectra. We analyzed an XMM-Newton EPIC observation of Kes 78 and studied the spatial distribution of the physical and chemical properties of the X-ray emitting plasma. The EPIC data unveiled a very complex morphology for the soft X-ray emission. We performed image analysis and spatially resolved spectral analysis finding indications for the interaction of the remnant with a local molecular cloud. Finally, we investigated the origin of the hard X-ray emitting component.

  12. XMM-Newton Detection of a Delayed X-ray Eruption from V838 Monocerotis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Antonini, Fabio; Montez, R., Jr.; Kastner, J.; Bond, H. E.; Soker, N.; Tylenda, R.; Starrfield, S.

    2010-01-01

    The star V838 Mon, discovered undergoing an outburst at the beginning of January 2002, is one of the most enigmatic objects observed in stellar astrophysics in recent decades. We report the XMM-Newton/EPIC detection in 2008 March of a pair of spatially confused X-ray sources in the vicinity of V838 Mon. Spectral/spatial analysis demonstrates the presence of a relatively hard, luminous source that is spatially coincident with V838 Mon itself, and a second, more luminous source located 8'' south of V838 Mon (projected separation 0.2pc if at the 6 kpc distance of V838 Mon). Neither source was detected in a Chandra/ACIS-S observation obtained about one year after outburst. The inferred X-ray luminosity and temperature of the hard source component at the position of V838 Mon, as well as its delayed appearance, appear consistent with a stellar merger scenario for the optical/IR outburst of V838 Mon. Further X-ray observations of V838 Mon are warranted, to confirm the position(s) of the source(s) in the vicinity of V838 Mon and to establish their long- and short-term temporal behavior.This research has been supported via NASA/GSFC XMM/Newton Guest Observer Facility grant NNX08AD91G to RIT (and associated subcontracts to STScI and the University of Arizona).

  13. XMM-Newton observation of the Coma Galaxy cluster. The temperature structure in the central region

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arnaud, M.; Aghanim, N.; Gastaud, R.; Neumann, D. M.; Lumb, D.; Briel, U.; Altieri, B.; Ghizzardi, S.; Mittaz, J.; Sasseen, T. P.; Vestrand, W. T.

    2001-01-01

    We present a temperature map and a temperature profile of the central part (r < 20' or 1/4 virial radius) of the Coma cluster. We combined 5 overlapping pointings made with XMM/EPIC/MOS and extracted spectra in boxes of 3.5'x3.5'. The temperature distribution around the two central galaxies is remarkably homogeneous (r<10'), contrary to previous ASCA results, suggesting that the core is actually in a relaxed state. At larger distance from the cluster center we do see evidence for recent matter accretion. We confirm the cool area in the direction of NGC 4921, probably due to gas stripped from an infalling group. We find indications of a hot front in the South West, in the direction of NGC 4839, probably due to an adiabatic compression. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA). EPIC was developed by the EPIC Consortium led by the Principal Investigator, Dr. M. J. L. Turner. The consortium comprises the following Institutes: University of Leicester, University of Birmingham, (UK); CEA/Saclay, IAS Orsay, CESR Toulouse, (France); IAAP Tuebingen, MPE Garching, (Germany); IFC Milan, ITESRE Bologna, IAUP Palermo, Italy. EPIC is funded by: PPARC, CEA, CNES, DLR and ASI.

  14. An XMM-Newton Study of the Bright Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy Arakelian 564

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brandt, Niel

    2004-01-01

    We report on two XMM-Newton observations of the bright Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy Ark 564 taken one year apart (2000 June and 2001 June). The 0.6-10 keV continuum is well described by a soft blackbody component (kT - 140-150 eV) plus a steep power law (Gamma - 2.50-2.55). No significant spectral changes are observed between the two observations, although the X-ray flux in the second observation is - 40-50 per cent lower. In both observations we detect a significant absorption edge at a rest-frame energy of - 0.73 keV, corresponding to 0 VII. The presence of the absorption feature is confirmed by a simultaneous Chandra grating observation in 2000 June, although the best-fitting edge threshold is at a slightly lower energy in the Chandra data, possibly because of a different parameterization of the underlying X-ray continuum. We find tentative evidence for a broad iron emission line in the 2000 June observation. The results from an analysis of the power spectral density (PSD) function are also presented. The present XMM-Newton data support the idea that the PSD shows two breaks, although the location of the high-frequency break requires further constraints.

  15. A cluster in a crowded environment: XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of A3558

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rossetti, M.; Ghizzardi, S.; Molendi, S.; Finoguenov, A.

    2007-03-01

    Combining XMM-Newton and Chandra data, we have performed a detailed study of Abell 3558. Our analysis shows that its dynamical history is more complicated than previously thought. We have found some traits typical of cool core clusters (surface brightness peaked at the center, peaked metal abundance profile) and others that are more common in merging clusters, like deviations from spherical symmetry in the thermodynamic quantities of the ICM. This last result has been achieved with a new technique for deriving temperature maps from images. We have also detected a cold front and, with the combined use of XMM-Newton and Chandra, we have characterized its properties, such as the speed and the metal abundance profile across the edge. This cold front is probably due to the sloshing of the core, induced by the perturbation of the gravitational potential associated with a past merger. The hydrodynamic processes related to this perturbation have presumably produced a tail of lower entropy, higher pressure and metal rich ICM, which extends behind the cold front for~500 kpc. The unique characteristics of A3558 are probably due to the very peculiar environment in which it is located: the core of the Shapley supercluster. Appendices A and B are only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  16. The XMM-Newton View of Wolf-Rayet Bubbles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guerrero, M.; Toala, J.

    2017-10-01

    The powerful stellar winds of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars blow large bubble into the circumstellar material ejected in previous phases of stellar evolution. The shock of those stellar winds produces X-ray-emitting hot plasmas which tells us about the diffusion of processed material onto the interstellar medium, about processes of heat conduction and turbulent mixing at the interface, about the late stages of stellar evolution, and about the shaping of the circumstellar environment, just before supernova explosions. The unique sensitivity of XMM-Newton has been key for the detection, mapping and spectral analysis of the X-ray emission from the hot bubbles around WR stars. These observations underscore the importance of the structure of the interstellar medium around massive stars, but they have also unveiled unknown phenomena, such as blowouts of hot gas into the interstellar medium or spatially-resolved spectral properties of the hot gas, which disclose inhomogeneous chemical abundances and physical properties across these bubbles.

  17. Exploring the Diffuse X-ray Emission of Supernova Remnant Kesteven 69 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seo, Kyoung-Ae; Hui, Chung Yue

    2013-06-01

    We have investigated the X-ray emission from the shock-heated plasma of the Galactic supernova remnant Kesteven 69 with XMM-Newton. Assuming the plasma is at collisional ionization equilibrium, a plasma temperature and a column absorption are found to be kT ~ 0.62 keV and NH ~ 2.85 ×10^22 cm-2 respectively by imaging spectroscopy. Together with the deduced emission measure, we place constraints on its Sedov parameters.

  18. How fast can an AGN shut down? XMM-Newton observation of IC 2497

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schawinski, Kevin

    2008-10-01

    We propose to observe IC 2497 with XMM-Newton to detect, or rule out, an obscured AGN that might account for the illumination of `Hanny's Voorwerp'. The Voorwerp is a highly ionised cloud of gas extended over 15-25 kpc next to the spiral galaxy IC 2497. There is no source of ionisation within the Voorwerp, implicating a luminous 1E44 erg/s AGN in IC 2497 as the source. Swift XRT observations do not yield a detection, allowing the presence of a highly obscured, sufficiently luminous AGN. With 34 ksec of XMM observations, we could detect an obscured AGN down to 1E42 erg/s. We can thus either locate an obscured AGN, or we can for the first time constrain the shutdown time scale for a powerful AGN, as it drops by a factor of 100 in luminosity in 1E5 years.

  19. XMM-Newton mission operations - ready for its third decade

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kirsch, M.; Finn, T.; Godard, T.; v. Krusenstiern, N.; Pfeil, N.; Salt, D.; Toma, L.; Webert, D.; Weissmann, U.

    2017-10-01

    The XMM-Newton X-ray space observatory is approaching its third decade of operations. The spacecraft and payload are operating without major degradation and scientific demand is continuously very high. With the change to a new way of using the Attitude and Orbit control System in 2013 the fuel consumption was reduced by a factor of two, additionally this has reduced stress on the reaction wheels. The challenge for the next decade is now to ensure that the saved fuel is available for continuous usage. We will describe the process of the so called 'fuel migration and replenishment' activities needed to keep the spacecraft operational potentially up to 2029+. We provide as well an overall health status of the mission, the evolution of the ground segment and concepts on streamlining mission operations with continued high safety requirements using automation tools.

  20. XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory Guest Observer program (AO-1) at CASA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Skinner, Stephen L.

    2003-01-01

    In this research program, we obtained and analyzed X-ray observations of the Wolf-Rayet (WR) star WR 110 (HD 165688) using the XMM-Newton space-based observatory. Radio observations were also obtained using the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope located in New Mexico and operated by the Natl. Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). This star was targeted for observations primarily because it is believed to be a single WR star without a companion. Single WR stars are thought to emit X-rays from cool plasma in shocks distributed throughout their powerful stellar winds. However, there has been little observational work done to test this idea since single WR stars are relatively weak X-ray sources and have been difficult to detect with previous generation telescopes. The launch of XMM-Newton provides a new telescope that is much more sensitive than its predecessors, allowing single WR stars to be studied in detail for the first time. X-ray emission was clearly detected from WR 110. Analysis of its spectrum yields a surprising result. Its X-ray emitting plasma is distributed over a range of temperatures and is dominated by relatively cool plasma with a characteristic temperature T is approximately 6 million K. Such plasma can be explained by existing theoretical wind shock models. However, the spectrum also shows hotter plasma whose temperature is uncertain but is thought to be in excess of T approximately 30 million K. The origin of this hotter plasma is yet unknown, but possible mechanisms are identified

  1. XMM-Newton observations of the non-thermal supernova remnant HESS J1731-347 (G353.6-0.7)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doroshenko, V.; Pühlhofer, G.; Bamba, A.; Acero, F.; Tian, W. W.; Klochkov, D.; Santangelo, A.

    2017-12-01

    We report on the analysis of XMM-Newton observations of the non-thermal shell-type supernova remnant HESS J1731-347 (G353.6-0.7). For the first time the complete remnant shell has been covered in X-rays, which allowed direct comparison with radio and TeV observations. We carried out a spatially resolved spectral analysis of XMM-Newton data and confirmed the previously reported non-thermal power-law X-ray spectrum of the source with negligible variations of spectral index across the shell. On the other hand, the X-ray absorption column is strongly variable and correlates with the CO emission thus confirming that the absorbing material must be in the foreground and reinforcing the previously suggested lower limit on distance. Finally, we find that the X-ray emission of the remnant is suppressed towards the Galactic plane, which points to lower shock velocities in this region, likely due to the interaction of the shock with the nearby molecular cloud.

  2. Extreme AGN Captured in a Low State by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frederick, Sara; Kara, Erin; Reynolds, Christopher S.

    2018-01-01

    The most variable active galactic nuclei (AGN), taken together, are a compelling wellspring of interesting accretion-related phenomena and can exhibit dramatic variability in the X-ray band down to timescales of a few minutes. We present the exemplifying case study of 1H 1934-063 (z = 0.0102), a narrow-line Seyfert I (NLS1) that is among the most variable AGN ever observed with XMM-Newton. We present spectroscopic and temporal analyses of a concurrent XMM-Newton and NuSTAR 120 ks observation, during which the source exhibited a steep (factor of 1.5) plummet and subsequent full recovery of flux that we explore in detail. Combined spectral and timing results point to a dramatic change in the continuum on timescales as short as a few ks. Similar to other highly variable Seyfert 1s, this AGN is X-ray bright and displays strong reflection spectral features. We find agreement with a change in the continuum, and we rule out absorption as the cause for this dramatic variability that is observed even at NuSTAR energies. We compare measurements from detailed time-resolved spectral fitting with Fourier-based timing results to constrain coronal geometry, dynamics, and emission/absorption processes dictating the nature of this variability. We also announce the discovery of a Fe-K time lag between the hard X-ray continuum emission (1-4 keV) and relativistically-blurred reprocessing by the inner accretion flow (0.3-1 keV).

  3. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XMM-Newton slew survey Source Catalogue, version 2.0 (XMM-SSC, 2017)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    XMM-SSC

    2018-01-01

    XMMSL2 is the second catalogue of X-ray sources found in slew data taken from the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton observatory, and has been constructed by members of the XMM SOC and the EPIC consortium on behalf of ESA. This release uses results of work which has been carried out within the framework of the EXTraS project ("Exploring the X-ray variable and Transient Sky"), funded from the EU's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement no.607452. This is the first release of XMMSL2 which contains data taken between revolutions 314 and 2758. The previous catalogue was called XMMSL1_Delta6 and contained slews up to revolution 2441. The release includes two FITS files. A full catalogue (xmmsl2_total.fits.gz), containing 72352 detections found with a likelihood of DETML>8 and a "clean" catalogue (xmmsl2clean.fits.gz) where all known bad sources have been removed and where the detection limit has been raised to DETML>10.5 in general and DETML>15.5 for sources found in images with a higher than usual background. Efforts have been made to identify spurious detections and 3017 have been flagged as such in the full catalogue. (3 data files).

  4. XMM-Newton Observations of Four Millisecond Pulsars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zavlin, Vyacheslav E.

    2005-01-01

    I present an analysis of the XMM-Newton observations of four millisecond pulsars, J0437-4715, J2124-3358, J1024-0719, and J0034-0534. The new data provide strong evidence of thermal emission in the X-ray flux detected from the first three objects. This thermal component is best interpreted as radiation from pulsar polar caps covered with a nonmagnetic hydrogen atmosphere. A nonthermal power-law component, dominating at energies E greater than or equal to 3 keV, can also be present in the detected X-ray emission. For PSR J0437-4715, the timing analysis reveals that the shape and pulsed fraction of the pulsar light curves are energy dependent. This, together with the results obtained from the phase-resolved spectroscopy, supports the two-component (thermal plus nonthermal) interpretation of the pulsar's X-ray radiation. Highly significant pulsations have been found in the X-ray flux of PSRs 52124-3358 and 51024-0719. For PSR 50034-0534, a possible X-ray counterpart of the radio pulsar has been suggested. The inferred properties of the detected thermal emission are compared with predictions of radio pulsar models.

  5. An XMM-Newton Observation of the Seyfert Galaxy 1H0419-577 in an Extreme Low State

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pounds, K. A.; Reeves, J. N.; Page, K. L.; O'Brien, P. T.

    2003-01-01

    Previous observations of the luminous Seyfert galaxy 1H 0419-577 have found its X-ray spectrum to range from that of a typical Seyfert 1 with 2-10 keV power law index Gamma approx. 1.9 to a much flatter power law of Gamma approx. 1.5 or less. We report here a new XMM-Newton observation which allows the low state spectrum to be studied in much greater detail than hitherto. We find a very hard spectrum (Gamma approx. 1.0) which exhibits broad features that can be modelled with the addition of an extreme relativistic Fe K emission line or with partial covering of the underlying continuum by a substantial column density of near-neutral gas. Both the EPIC and RGS data show evidence for strong line emission of OVII and OVIII requiring an extended region of low density photoionised gas in 1H 0419- 577. Comparison with an earlier XMM-Newton observation when 1H 0419-577 was X-ray bright indicates the dominant spectral variability occurs via a steep power law component.

  6. XMM-Newton 13H deep field - I. X-ray sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loaring, N. S.; Dwelly, T.; Page, M. J.; Mason, K.; McHardy, I.; Gunn, K.; Moss, D.; Seymour, N.; Newsam, A. M.; Takata, T.; Sekguchi, K.; Sasseen, T.; Cordova, F.

    2005-10-01

    We present the results of a deep X-ray survey conducted with XMM-Newton, centred on the UK ROSAT13H deep field area. This region covers 0.18 deg2, and is the first of the two areas covered with XMM-Newton as part of an extensive multiwavelength survey designed to study the nature and evolution of the faint X-ray source population. We have produced detailed Monte Carlo simulations to obtain a quantitative characterization of the source detection procedure and to assess the reliability of the resultant sourcelist. We use the simulations to establish a likelihood threshold, above which we expect less than seven (3 per cent) of our sources to be spurious. We present the final catalogue of 225 sources. Within the central 9 arcmin, 68 per cent of source positions are accurate to 2 arcsec, making optical follow-up relatively straightforward. We construct the N(>S) relation in four energy bands: 0.2-0.5, 0.5-2, 2-5 and 5-10 keV. In all but our highest energy band we find that the source counts can be represented by a double power law with a bright-end slope consistent with the Euclidean case and a break around 10-14yergcm-2s-1. Below this flux, the counts exhibit a flattening. Our source counts reach densities of 700, 1300, 900 and 300 deg-2 at fluxes of 4.1 × 10-16,4.5 × 10-16,1.1 × 10-15 and 5.3 × 10-15ergcm-2s-1 in the 0.2-0.5, 0.5-2, 2-5 and 5-10 keV energy bands, respectively. We have compared our source counts with those in the two Chandra deep fields and Lockman hole, and found our source counts to be amongst the highest of these fields in all energy bands. We resolve >51 per cent (>50 per cent) of the X-ray background emission in the 1-2 keV (2-5 keV) energy bands.

  7. Insights on the X-ray weak quasar phenomenon from XMM-Newton monitoring of PHL 1092

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miniutti, Giovanni; Fabian, Andy; Gallo, Luigi; Brandt, Niel; Schneider, Donald

    2012-09-01

    PHL 1092 is a z~0.4 high-luminosity counterpart of the class of Narrow Line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In 2008, PHL 1092 was found to be in a remarkably low X-ray flux state during an XMM-Newton observation. Its 2 keV flux density had dropped by a factor of ~260 with respect to a previous observation performed 4.5 yr earlier. The UV flux remained almost constant, resulting in a significant steepening of the optical-to-X-ray slope alpha_ox from -1.57 to -2.51, making PHL 1092 one of the most extreme X-ray weak quasars with no observed broad absorption lines (BALs) in the UV. We have monitored the source since 2008 with XMM-Newton, producing a simultaneous UV and X-ray database spanning almost 10 yr in total in the activity of the source. We apply a series of physically motivated models to the data with the goal of explaining as self-consistently as possible the UV-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution (SED) and the extreme X-ray and alpha_ox variability. We discuss our results in the context of the class of non-BAL X-ray weak quasars and so-called PHL 1811 analogs.

  8. Swift, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR Observations of PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, K. L.; Kong, A. K. H.; Tam, P. H. T.; Hou, X.; Takata, J.; Hui, C. Y.

    2017-07-01

    We report our recent Swift, NuSTAR, and XMM-Newton X-ray and Lijiang optical observations on PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213, the γ-ray binary candidate with a period of 45-50 years. The coming periastron of the system was predicted to be in 2017 November, around which high-energy flares from keV to TeV are expected. Recent studies with Chandra and Swift X-ray observations taken in 2015/2016 showed that its X-ray emission has been brighter by a factors of ˜10 than that before 2013, probably revealing some ongoing activities between the pulsar wind and the stellar wind. Our new Swift/XRT lightcurve shows no strong evidence of a single vigorous brightening trend, but rather several strong X-ray flares on weekly to monthly timescales with a slowly brightening baseline, namely the low state. The NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations taken during the flaring and the low states, respectively, show a denser environment and a softer power-law index during the flaring state, implying that the pulsar wind interacted with the stronger stellar winds of the companion to produce the flares. These precursors would be crucial in studying the predicted giant outburst from this extreme γ-ray binary during the periastron passage in late 2017.

  9. Highly variable AGN from the XMM-Newton slew survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strotjohann, N. L.; Saxton, R. D.; Starling, R. L. C.; Esquej, P.; Read, A. M.; Evans, P. A.; Miniutti, G.

    2016-07-01

    Aims: We investigate the properties of a variability-selected complete sample of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in order to identify the mechanisms which cause large amplitude X-ray variability on timescales of years. Methods: A complete sample of 24 sources was constructed, from AGN which changed their soft X-ray luminosity by more than one order of magnitude over 5-20 years between ROSAT observations and the XMM-Newton slew survey. Follow-up observations were obtained with the Swift satellite. We analysed the spectra of these AGN at the Swift and XMM observation epochs, where six sources had continued to display extreme variability. Multiwavelength data are used to calculate black hole masses and the relative X-ray brightness αOX. Results: After removal of two probable spurious sources, we find that the sample has global properties which differ little from a non-varying control sample drawn from the wider XMM-slew/ROSAT/Veron sample of all secure AGN detections. A wide range of AGN types are represented in the varying sample. The black hole mass distributions for the varying and non-varying sample are not significantly different. This suggests that long timescale variability is not strongly affected by black hole mass. There is marginal evidence that the variable sources have a lower redshift (2σ) and X-ray luminosity (1.7σ). Apart from two radio-loud sources, the sample sources have normal optical-X-ray ratios (αOX) when at their peak but are X-ray weak during their lowest flux measurements. Conclusions: Drawing on our results and other studies, we are able to identify a variety of variability mechanisms at play: tidal disruption events, jet activity, changes in absorption, thermal emission from the inner accretion disc, and variable accretion disc reflection. Little evidence for strong absorption is seen in the majority of the sample and single-component absorption can be excluded as the mechanism for most sources.

  10. X-ray Observations of Binary and Single Wolf-Rayet Stars with XMM-Newton and Chandra

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Skinner, Stephen; Gudel, Manuel; Schmutz, Werner; Zhekov, Svetozar

    2006-01-01

    We present an overview of recent X-ray observations of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars with XMM-Newton and Chandra. These observations are aimed at determining the differences in X-ray properties between massive WR + OB binary systems and putatively single WR stars. A new XMM spectrum of the nearby WN8 + OB binary WR 147 shows hard absorbed X-ray emission (including the Fe Ka line complex), characteristic of colliding wind shock sources. In contrast, sensitive observations of four of the closest known single WC (carbon-rich) WR stars have yielded only nondetections. These results tentatively suggest that single WC stars are X-ray quiet. The presence of a companion may thus be an essential factor in elevating the X-ray emission of WC + OB stars to detectable levels.

  11. XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL view of the hard state of EXO 1745-248 during its 2015 outburst

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matranga, M.; Papitto, A.; Di Salvo, T.; Bozzo, E.; Torres, D. F.; Iaria, R.; Burderi, L.; Rea, N.; de Martino, D.; Sanchez-Fernandez, C.; Gambino, A. F.; Ferrigno, C.; Stella, L.

    2017-07-01

    Context. Transient low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) often show outbursts that typically last a few weeks and are characterized by a high X-ray luminosity (Lx ≈ 1036-1038 erg s-1), while most of the time they are found in X-ray quiescence (LX ≈ 1031-1033 erg s-1). The source EXO 1745-248 is one of them. Aims: The broad-band coverage and sensitivity of the instrument on board XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL offers the opportunity of characterizing the hard X-ray spectrum during the outburst of EXO 1745-248. Methods: We report on quasi-simultaneous XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL observations of the X-ray transient EXO 1745-248 located in the globular cluster Terzan 5, performed ten days after the beginning of the outburst (on 2015 March 16) of the source between March and June 2015. The source was caught in a hard state, emitting a 0.8-100 keV luminosity of ≃ 1037 erg s-1. Results: The spectral continuum was dominated by thermal Comptonization of seed photons with temperature kTin ≃ 1.3 keV, by a cloud with a moderate optical depth τ ≃ 2, and with an electron temperature of kTe ≃ 40 keV. A weaker soft thermal component at temperature kTth ≃ 0.6-0.7 keV and compatible with a fraction of the neutron star radius was also detected. A rich emission line spectrum was observed by the EPIC-pn on board XMM-Newton; features at energies compatible with K-α transitions of ionized sulfur, argon, calcium, and iron were detected, with a broadness compatible with either thermal Compton broadening or Doppler broadening in the inner parts of an accretion disk truncated at 20 ± 6 gravitational radii from the neutron star. Strikingly, at least one narrow emission line ascribed to neutral or mildly ionized iron is needed to model the prominent emission complex detected between 5.5 and 7.5 keV. The different ionization state and broadness suggest an origin in a region located farther from the neutron star than where the other emission lines are produced. Seven consecutive type I bursts

  12. Observations of MCG-5-23-16 with Suzaku, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR: Disk Tomography and Compton Hump Reverberation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zoghbi, A.; Cackett, E. M.; Reynolds, C.; Kara, E.; Harrison, F. A.; Fabian, A. C.; Lohfink, A.; Matt, G.; Stern, D.; Zhang, W. W.

    2014-01-01

    MCG-5-23-16 is one of the first active galactic nuclei (AGNs) where relativistic reverberation in the iron K line originating in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole was found, based on a short XMM-Newton observation. In this work, we present the results from long X-ray observations using Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR designed to map the emission region using X-ray reverberation. A relativistic iron line is detected in the lag spectra on three different timescales, allowing the emission from different regions around the black hole to be separated. Using NuSTAR coverage of energies above 10 keV reveals a lag between these energies and the primary continuum, which is detected for the first time in an AGN. This lag is a result of the Compton reflection hump responding to changes in the primary source in a manner similar to the response of the relativistic iron K line.

  13. Observations of MCG-5-23-16 with Suzaku, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR: Disk tomography and compton hump reverberation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zoghbi, A.; Reynolds, C.; Lohfink, A.

    2014-07-01

    MCG-5-23-16 is one of the first active galactic nuclei (AGNs) where relativistic reverberation in the iron K line originating in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole was found, based on a short XMM-Newton observation. In this work, we present the results from long X-ray observations using Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR designed to map the emission region using X-ray reverberation. A relativistic iron line is detected in the lag spectra on three different timescales, allowing the emission from different regions around the black hole to be separated. Using NuSTAR coverage of energies above 10 keV reveals a lag between thesemore » energies and the primary continuum, which is detected for the first time in an AGN. This lag is a result of the Compton reflection hump responding to changes in the primary source in a manner similar to the response of the relativistic iron K line.« less

  14. Symbiotic Stars in X-rays. II. Faint Sources Detected with XMM-Newton and Chandra

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nunez, N. E.; Luna, G. J. M.; Pillitteri, I.; Mukai, K.

    2014-01-01

    We report the detection from four symbiotic stars that were not known to be X-ray sources. These four object show a ß-type X-ray spectrum, that is, their spectra can be modeled with an absorbed optically thin thermal emission with temperatures of a few million degrees. Photometric series obtained with the Optical Monitor on board XMM-Newton from V2416 Sgr and NSV 25735 support the proposed scenario where the X-ray emission is produced in a shock-heated region inside the symbiotic nebulae.

  15. The Soft-X-Ray Emission of Ark 120. XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, and the Importance of Taking the Broad View

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Matt, G.; Marinucci, A.; Guainazzi, M.; Brenneman, L. W.; Elvis, M.; Lohfink, A.; Arevalo, P.; Boggs, S. E.; Cappi, M.; Stern, D.; hide

    2014-01-01

    We present simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the 'bare' Seyfert 1 galaxy, Ark 120, a system in which ionized absorption is absent. The NuSTAR hard-X-ray spectral coverage allows us to constrain different models for the excess soft-X-ray emission. Among phenomenological models, a cutoff power law best explains the soft-X-ray emission. This model likely corresponds to Comptonization of the accretion disc seed UV photons by a population of warm electrons: using Comptonization models, a temperature of approximately 0.3 kiloelectronvolts and an optical depth of approximately 13 are found. If the UV-to-X-ray OPTXAGNF model is applied, the UV fluxes from the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor suggest an intermediate black hole spin. Contrary to several other sources observed by NuSTAR, no high-energy cutoff is detected with a lower limit of 190 kiloelectronvolts.

  16. XMM-Newton spectroscopy of the accreting magnetar candidate 4U0114+65

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sanjurjo-Ferrrín, G.; Torrejón, J. M.; Postnov, K.; Oskinova, L.; Rodes-Roca, J. J.; Bernabeu, G.

    2017-10-01

    Aims: 4U0114+65 is one of the slowest known X-ray pulsars. We present an analysis of a pointed observation by the XMM-Newton X-ray telescope in order to study the nature of the X-ray pulsations and the accretion process, and to diagnose the physical properties of the donor's stellar wind. Methods: We analysed the energy-resolved light curve and the time-resolved X-ray spectra provided by the EPIC cameras on board XMM-Newton. We also analysed the first high-resolution spectrum of this source provided by the Reflection Grating Spectrometer. Results: An X-ray pulse of 9350 ± 160 s was measured. Comparison with previous measurements confirms the secular spin up of this source. We successfully fit the pulse-phase-resolved spectra with Comptonisation models. These models imply a very small (r 3 km) and hot (kT 2 - 3 keV) emitting region and therefore point to a hot spot over the neutron star (NS) surface as the most reliable explanation for the X-ray pulse. The long NS spin period, the spin-up rate, and persistent X-ray emission can be explained within the theory of quasi-spherical settling accretion, which may indicate that the magnetic field is in the magnetar range. Thus, 4U 0114+65 could be a wind-accreting magnetar. We also observed two episodes of low luminosity. The first was only observed in the low-energy light curve and can be explained as an absorption by a large over-dense structure in the wind of the B1 supergiant donor. The second episode, which was deeper and affected all energies, may be due to temporal cessation of accretion onto one magnetic pole caused by non-spherical matter capture from the structured stellar wind. The light curve displays two types of dips that are clearly seen during the high-flux intervals. The short dips, with durations of tens of seconds, are produced through absorption by wind clumps. The long dips, in turn, seem to be associated with the rarefied interclump medium. From the analysis of the X-ray spectra, we found evidence of

  17. An XMM-Newton Observation of the Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H 0419-577 in an Extreme Low State

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pounds, K. A.; Reeves, J. N.; Page, K. L.; OBrien, P. T.

    2004-01-01

    Previous observations of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577 have found its X-ray spectrum to range from that of a typical Seyfert 1 with 2-10 keV power law index Gamma approx. 1.9 to a much flatter power law of Gamma approx. 1.5 or less. We report here a new XMM-Newton observation which allows the low state spectrum to be studied in much greater detail than hitherto. We find a very hard spectrum (Gamma approx. 1.0), which exhibits broad features that can be modelled myth the addition of an extreme relativistic Fe K emission line or with partial covering of the underlying continuum by a substantial column density of near-neutral gas. Both the EPIC and RGS data show evidence for strong line emission of OVII and OVIII requiring an extended region of low density photoionised gas in 1H 0419-577. Comparison with an earlier XMM-Newton observation when 1H 0419-577 was 'X-ray bright' indicates the dominant spectral variability occurs via a steep power law component.

  18. XMM-Newton discovery of pulsations from IGR J21237+4218=V2069 Cyg

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Martino, D.; Bonnet-Bidaud, J. M.; Falanga, M.; Mouchet, M.; Motch, C.

    2009-06-01

    We report on a preliminary analysis of a XMM-Newton observation of the INTEGRAL source IGR J21237+4218 identified as the cataclysmic variable RXJ2123.7+4217=V2069 Cyg (Motch et al. 1996 A&A 307, 459; Barlow et al. 2006, MNRAS 372, 224). This observation was performed on April 30, 2009 (Start time: 2009-04-30T10:45:58.000) for a total of 28ksec (Observation ID: 0601270101). The source is detected in the EPIC cameras at an average net countrate of 1.05 cts/sec (EPIC-pn) and 0.65cts/sec (EPIC-MOS).

  19. The calibration of read-out-streak photometry in the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor and the construction of a bright-source catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Page, M. J.; Chan, N.; Breeveld, A. A.; Talavera, A.; Yershov, V.; Kennedy, T.; Kuin, N. P. M.; Hancock, B.; Smith, P. J.; Carter, M.

    2017-04-01

    The dynamic range of the XMM-Newton Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) is limited at the bright end by coincidence loss, the superposition of multiple photons in the individual frames recorded from its micro-channel-plate (MCP) intensified charge-coupled device (CCD) detector. One way to overcome this limitation is to use photons that arrive during the frame transfer of the CCD, forming vertical read-out streaks for bright sources. We calibrate these read-out streaks for photometry of bright sources observed with XMM-OM. The bright-source limit for read-out-streak photometry is set by the recharge time of the MCPs. For XMM-OM, we find that the MCP recharge time is 5.5 × 10-4 s. We determine that the effective bright limits for read-out-streak photometry with XMM-OM are approximately 1.5 mag brighter than the bright-source limits for normal aperture photometry in full-frame images. This translates into bright-source limits in Vega magnitudes of UVW2=7.1, UVM2=8.0, UVW1=9.4, U=10.5, B=11.5, V=10.2, and White=12.5 for data taken early in the mission. The limits brighten by up to 0.2 mag, depending on filter, over the course of the mission as the detector ages. The method is demonstrated by deriving UVW1 photometry for the symbiotic nova RR Telescopii, and the new photometry is used to constrain the e-folding time of its decaying ultraviolet (UV) emission. Using the read-out-streak method, we obtain photometry for 50 per cent of the missing UV source measurements in version 2.1 of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous UV Source Survey catalogue.

  20. Swift , XMM - Newton , and NuSTAR Observations of PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, K. L.; Kong, A. K. H.; Tam, P. H. T.

    2017-07-10

    We report our recent Swift , NuSTAR , and XMM - Newton X-ray and Lijiang optical observations on PSR J2032+4127/MT91 213, the γ -ray binary candidate with a period of 45–50 years. The coming periastron of the system was predicted to be in 2017 November, around which high-energy flares from keV to TeV are expected. Recent studies with Chandra and Swift X-ray observations taken in 2015/2016 showed that its X-ray emission has been brighter by a factors of ∼10 than that before 2013, probably revealing some ongoing activities between the pulsar wind and the stellar wind. Our new Swift /XRTmore » lightcurve shows no strong evidence of a single vigorous brightening trend, but rather several strong X-ray flares on weekly to monthly timescales with a slowly brightening baseline, namely the low state. The NuSTAR and XMM - Newton observations taken during the flaring and the low states, respectively, show a denser environment and a softer power-law index during the flaring state, implying that the pulsar wind interacted with the stronger stellar winds of the companion to produce the flares. These precursors would be crucial in studying the predicted giant outburst from this extreme γ -ray binary during the periastron passage in late 2017.« less

  1. The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Guedel, M.; Briggs, K. R.; Arzner, K.; Audard, M.; Bouvier, J.; Feigelson, E. D.; Franciosini, E.; Glauser, A.; Grosso, N.; Micela, G.; hide

    2007-01-01

    The Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) is the nearest large star-forming region, prototypical for the distributed mode of low-mass star formation. Pre-main sequence stars are luminous X-ray sources, probably mostly owing to magnetic energy release. Aims. The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (EST) presented in this paper surveys the most populated =5 square degrees of the TMC, using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to study the thermal structure, variability, and long-term evolution of hot plasma, to investigate the magnetic dynamo, and to search for new potential members of the association. Many targets are also studied in the optical, and high-resolution X-ray grating spectroscopy has been obtained for selected bright sources. Methods. The X-ray spectra have been coherently analyzed with two different thermal models (2-component thermal model, and a continuous emission measure distribution model). We present overall correlations with fundamental stellar parameters that were derived from the previous literature. A few detections from Chandra observations have been added. Results. The present overview paper introduces the project and provides the basic results from the X-ray analysis of all sources detected in the XEST survey. Comprehensive tables summarize the stellar properties of all targets surveyed. The survey goes deeper than previous X-ray surveys of Taurus by about an order of magnitude and for the first time systematically accesses very faint and strongly absorbed TMC objects. We find a detection rate of 85% and 98% for classical and weak-line T Tau stars (CTTS resp. WTTS), and identify about half of the surveyed protostars and brown dwarfs. Overall, 136 out of 169 surveyed stellar systems are detected. We describe an X-ray luminosity vs. mass correlation, discuss the distribution of X-ray-to-bolometric luminosity ratios, and show evidence for lower X-ray luminosities in CTTS compared to WTTS. Detailed analysis (e.g., variability, rotation

  2. Supernova remnants in M33: X-ray properties as observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garofali, Kristen; Williams, Benjamin F.; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Gaetz, Terrance J.; Wold, Brian; Haberl, Frank; Long, Knox S.; Blair, William P.; Pannuti, Thomas G.; Winkler, P. Frank; Gross, Jacob

    2017-11-01

    We have carried out a study of the X-ray properties of the supernova remnant (SNR) population in M33 with XMM-Newton, comprising deep observations of eight fields in M33 covering all of the area within the D25 contours, and with a typical luminosity of 7.1 × 1034 erg s-1 (0.2-2.0 keV). Here, we report our work to characterize the X-ray properties of the previously identified SNRs in M33, as well as our search for new X-ray detected SNRs. With our deep observations and large field of view we have detected 105 SNRs at the 3σ level, of which 54 SNRs are newly detected in X-rays, and three are newly discovered SNRs. Combining XMM-Newton data with deep Chandra survey data allows detailed spectral fitting of 15 SNRs, for which we have measured temperatures, ionization time-scales and individual abundances. This large sample of SNRs allows us to construct an X-ray luminosity function, and compare its shape to luminosity functions from host galaxies of differing metallicities and star formation rates to look for environmental effects on SNR properties. We conclude that while metallicity may play a role in SNR population characteristics, differing star formation histories on short time-scales, and small-scale environmental effects appear to cause more significant differences between X-ray luminosity distributions. In addition, we analyse the X-ray detectability of SNRs, and find that in M33 SNRs with higher [S II]/H α ratios, as well as those with smaller galactocentric distances, are more detectable in X-rays.

  3. Characterizing X-ray Sources in the Rich Open Cluster NGC 7789 Using XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farner, William; Pooley, David

    2018-01-01

    It is well established that globular clusters exhibit a correlation between their population of exotic binaries and their rate of stellar encounters, but little work has been done to characterize this relationship in rich open clusters. X-ray observations are the most efficient means to find various types of close binaries, and optical (and radio) identifications can provide secure source classifications. We report on an observation of the rich open cluster NGC 7789 using the XMM-Newton observatory. We present the X-ray and optical imaging data, source lists, and preliminary characterization of the sources based on their X-ray and multiwavelength properties.

  4. XMM-NEWTON MEASUREMENT OF THE GALACTIC HALO X-RAY EMISSION USING A COMPACT SHADOWING CLOUD

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Henley, David B.; Shelton, Robin L.; Cumbee, Renata S.

    2015-02-01

    Observations of interstellar clouds that cast shadows in the soft X-ray background can be used to separate the background Galactic halo emission from the local emission due to solar wind charge exchange (SWCX) and/or the Local Bubble (LB). We present an XMM-Newton observation of a shadowing cloud, G225.60–66.40, that is sufficiently compact that the on- and off-shadow spectra can be extracted from a single field of view (unlike previous shadowing observations of the halo with CCD-resolution spectrometers, which consisted of separate on- and off-shadow pointings). We analyzed the spectra using a variety of foreground models: one representing LB emission, andmore » two representing SWCX emission. We found that the resulting halo model parameters (temperature T {sub h} ≈ 2 × 10{sup 6} K, emission measure E{sub h}≈4×10{sup −3} cm{sup −6} pc) were not sensitive to the foreground model used. This is likely due to the relative faintness of the foreground emission in this observation. However, the data do favor the existence of a foreground. The halo parameters derived from this observation are in good agreement with those from previous shadowing observations, and from an XMM-Newton survey of the Galactic halo emission. This supports the conclusion that the latter results are not subject to systematic errors, and can confidently be used to test models of the halo emission.« less

  5. NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of the 2015 Outburst Decay of GX 339-4

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Stiele, H.; Kong, A. K. H., E-mail: hstiele@mx.nthu.edu.tw

    The extent of the accretion disk in the low/hard state of stellar mass black hole X-ray binaries remains an open question. There is some evidence suggesting that the inner accretion disk is truncated and replaced by a hot flow, while the detection of relativistic broadened iron emission lines seems to require an accretion disk extending fully to the innermost stable circular orbit. We present comprehensive spectral and timing analyses of six Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array and XMM-Newton observations of GX 339–4 taken during outburst decay in the autumn of 2015. Using a spectral model consisting of a thermal accretion disk,more » Comptonized emission, and a relativistic reflection component, we obtain a decreasing photon index, consistent with an X-ray binary during outburst decay. Although we observe a discrepancy in the inner radius of the accretion disk and that of the reflector, which can be attributed to the different underlying assumptions in each model, both model components indicate a truncated accretion disk that resiles with decreasing luminosity. The evolution of the characteristic frequency in Fourier power spectra and their missing energy dependence support the interpretation of a truncated and evolving disk in the hard state. The XMM-Newton data set allowed us to study, for the first time, the evolution of the covariance spectra and ratio during outburst decay. The covariance ratio increases and steeps during outburst decay, consistent with increased disk instabilities.« less

  6. A Catalog of Galaxy Clusters Observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snowden, S. L.; Mushotzky, R. M.; Kuntz, K. D.; Davis, David S.

    2007-01-01

    Images and the radial profiles of the temperature, abundance, and brightness for 70 clusters of galaxies observed by XMM-Newton are presented along with a detailed discussion of the data reduction and analysis methods, including background modeling, which were used in the processing. Proper consideration of the various background components is vital to extend the reliable determination of cluster parameters to the largest possible cluster radii. The various components of the background including the quiescent particle background, cosmic diffuse emission, soft proton contamination, and solar wind charge exchange emission are discussed along with suggested means of their identification, filtering, and/or their modeling and subtraction. Every component is spectrally variable, sometimes significantly so, and all components except the cosmic background are temporally variable as well. The distributions of the events over the FOV vary between the components, and some distributions vary with energy. The scientific results from observations of low surface brightness objects and the diffuse background itself can be strongly affected by these background components and therefore great care should be taken in their consideration.

  7. XMM-Newton RGS observations of the Cat's Eye Nebula

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guerrero, M. A.; Toalá, J. A.; Chu, Y.-H.; Gruendl, R. A.

    2015-02-01

    We present an analysis of XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) observations of the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6543. These observations render it the second PN with high-resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations after BD +30°3639. The observations consist of 26 pointings, 14 of which included RGS observations for a total integration time of 435 ks. Many of these observations, however, were severely affected by high-background levels, and the net useful exposure time is drastically reduced to 25 ks. Only the O vii triplet at 22 Å is unambiguously detected in the RGS spectrum of NGC 6543. We find this spectrum consistent with an optically thin plasma at 0.147 keV (1.7 MK) and nebular abundances. Unlike BD +30°3639, the X-ray emission from NGC 6543 does not reveal overabundances of C and Ne. The results suggest that the N/O ratio of the hot plasma is consistent with that of the stellar wind, that is, it is lower than the nebular N/O ratio, but this result is not conclusive.

  8. XMM-Newton Observations of NGC 253: Resolving the Emission Components in the Disk and Nuclear Area

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pietsch, W.; Borozdin, K. N.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Cappi, M.; Ehle, M.; Ferrando, P.; Freyberg, M. J.; Kahn, S. M.; Ponman, T. J.; Ptak, A.

    2000-01-01

    We describe the first XMM-Newton observations of the starburst galaxy NGC 253. As known from previous X-ray observations, NGC 253 shows a mixture of extended (disk and halo) and point-source emission. The high XMM-Newton throughput allows for the first time a detailed investigation of the spatial, spectral and variability properties of these components simultaneously. We detect a bright X-ray transient approx. 70 sec SSW of the nucleus and show the spectrum and light curve of the brightest point source (approx. 30 sec S of the nucleus, most likely a black-hole X-ray binary, BHXRB). The unprecedented combination of RGS and EPIC also sheds new light on the emission of the complex nuclear region, the X-ray plume and the disk diffuse emission. In particular, EPIC images reveal that the limb-brightening of the plume is mostly seen in higher ionization emission lines, while in the lower ionization lines, and below 0.5 keV, the plume is more homo- geneously structured, pointing to new interpretations as to the make up of the starburst-driven outflow. Assuming that type IIa supernova remnants (SNRs) are mostly responsible for the E greater than 4 keV emission, the detection with EPIC of the 6.7 keV line allows us to estimate a supernova rate within the nuclear starburst of 0.2 /yr.

  9. On the origin of the broad, relativistic iron line of MCG-6-30-15 observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martocchia, A.; Matt, G.; Karas, V.

    2002-03-01

    The relativistic iron line profile recently observed by XMM-Newton in the spectrum of the Seyfert 1 galaxy MCG-6-30-15 (Wilms et al. \\cite{Wilms01}) is discussed in the framework of the lamp-post model. It is shown that the steep disc emissivity, the large line equivalent width and the amount of Compton reflection can be self-consistently reproduced in this scenario.

  10. X-rays from young stars: A summary of highlights from the XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Güdel, M.

    2008-02-01

    The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST) is a survey of the nearest large star-forming region, the Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC), making use of all instruments on board the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory. The survey, presently still growing, has provided unprecedented spectroscopic results from nearly every observed T Tauri star, and from ≈50% of the studied brown dwarfs and protostars. The survey includes the first coherent statistical sample of high-resolution spectra of T Tauri stars, and is accompanied by an U-band/ultraviolet imaging photometric survey of the TMC. XEST led to the discovery of new, systematic X-ray features not possible before with smaller samples, in particular the X-ray soft excess in classical T Tauri stars and the Two-Absorber X-ray (TAX) spectra of jet-driving T Tauri stars. This paper summarizes highlights from XEST and reviews the key role of this large project.

  11. Tidal disruption events seen in the XMM-Newton slew survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saxton, Richard; Komossa, S.; Read, Andrew; Lira, Paulina; Alexander, Kate D.; Steele, Iain

    XMM-Newton performs a survey of the sky in the 0.2-12 keV X-ray band while slewing between observation targets. The sensitivity in the soft X-ray band is comparable with that of the ROSAT all-sky survey, allowing bright transients to be identified in near real-time by a comparison of the flux in both surveys. Several of the soft X-ray flares are coincident with galaxy nuclei and five of these have been interpreted as candidate tidal disruption events (TDE). The first three discovered had a soft X-ray spectrum, consistent with the classical model of TDE, where radiation is released during the accretion phase by thermal processes. The remaining two have an additional hard, power-law component, which in only one case was accompanied by radio emission. Overall the flares decay with the classical index of t -5/3 but vary greatly in the early phase.

  12. A good mass proxy for galaxy clusters with XMM-Newton

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhao, Hai-Hui; Jia, Shu-Mei; Chen, Yong

    2013-12-01

    We use a sample of 39 galaxy clusters at redshift z < 0.1 observed by XMM-Newton to investigate the relations between X-ray observables and total mass. Based on central cooling time and central temperature drop, the clusters in this sample are divided into two groups: 25 cool core clusters and 14 non-cool core clusters, respectively. We study the scaling relations of L {sub bol}-M {sub 500}, M {sub 500}-T, M {sub 500}-M {sub g}, and M {sub 500}-Y {sub X}, and also the influences of cool core on these relations. The results show that the M {sub 500}-Y {sub X}more » relation has a slope close to the standard self-similar value, has the smallest scatter and does not vary with the cluster sample. Moreover, the M {sub 500}-Y {sub X} relation is not affected by the cool core. Thus, the parameter of Y{sub X} may be the best mass indicator.« less

  13. X-ray Spectral Analysis of the Cataclysmic Variable LS Peg using XMM-Newton Observatory Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Talebpour Sheshvan, N.; Nabizadeh, A.; Balman, S.

    2017-10-01

    LS Peg is a Cataclysmic Variable (CV) suggested as Intermediate Polar (IP) because of similar properties to those observed in IP systems. We used archival XMM-Newton observation of LS Peg in order to study the X-ray characteristics of the system. We show LS Peg light curves in several different energy bands, and discuss about orbital modulations and power spectral analysis. Unlike the previous spectral analysis of the EPIC-MOS data by fitting a hot optically thin plasma emission model with a single temperature, we simultaneously fit EPIC spectrum (pn+MOS) using a composite model of absorption (tbabs) along with two different partial covering absorbers plus a multi-temperature plasma emission component in XSPEC. In addition, we find a Gaussian emission line at 6.4 keV. For LS Peg the maximum temperature of the plasma distribution is found to be ˜ 17.8 keV with a luminosity of ˜ 7.4×10^{32}erg s^{-1} translating to an accretion rate of ˜ 1.7×10 ^{-10} M_{⊙} yr^{-1}. We present spectra for orbital minimum and orbital maximum. In addition, we use SWIFT observations of the source in order to make a comparison. We elaborate on the geometry of accretion and absorption in the X-ray emitting region with articulation on the magnetic nature.

  14. Modeling the Magnetospheric X-ray Emission from Solar Wind Charge Exchange with Verification from XMM-Newton Observations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-08-26

    Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics Modeling the magnetospheric X-ray emission from solar wind charge exchange with verification from XMM...Newton observations Ian C. Whittaker1, Steve Sembay1, Jennifer A. Carter1, AndrewM. Read1, Steve E. Milan1, andMinna Palmroth2 1Department of Physics ...observations, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics , 121, 4158–4179, doi:10.1002/2015JA022292. Received 21 DEC 2015 Accepted 26 FEB 2016 Accepted article online 29

  15. The enigma of the magnetic pulsar SXP1062: a new look with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oskinova, Lidia

    2012-10-01

    SXP 1062 is an exceptional case of a young neutron star with known age in a wind-fed HMXB. A unique combination of measured spin period, its derivative, luminosity and young age makes this source a key probe for the physics of accretion and neutron star evolution. All current accretion scenarios encounter major difficulties explaining the spin-down rate of this accretion-powered pulsar. This study will allow us to construct a spin period-luminosity relation as a powerful tool for distinguishing between different accretion and evolution scenarios. The XMM-Newton observations of SXP 1062 will thus shed new light on the physics of accreting neutron stars.

  16. XMM-Newton Proposal 03001001

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barrado Y Navascues, David

    2004-10-01

    We propose observations with XMM-EPIC/MOS in five distinct sibling associations belonging to the Lambda Orionis Star Forming Region (2-5 Myr, 340 pc). We have already optical and IR photometry and spectroscopy for objects down to 0.015 M(sun). The goals are: i) Assess the membership of our candidates and detect new members. ii) Derive accurate IMFs for each association, checking the universality of the IMF. iii) Study the properties and evolution of the X-ray Luminosity Functions.

  17. Searching for Decaying Dark Matter in Deep XMM-Newton Observation of the Draco Dwarf Spheroidal

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruchayskiy, Oleg; Boyardsky, Alex; Iakbovskyi, Dmytro; Bulbul, Esra; Eckert, Domique; Franse, Jeron; Malyshev, Denys; Markevitch, Maxim; Neronov, Andrii

    2016-01-01

    We present results of a search for the 3.5 keV emission line in our recent very long (approx. 1.4 Ms) XMM-Newton observation of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy. The astrophysical X-ray emission from such dark matter-dominated galaxies is faint, thus they provide a test for the dark matter origin of the 3.5 keV line previously detected in other massive, but X-ray bright objects, such as galaxies and galaxy clusters. We do not detect a statistically significant emission line from Draco; this constrains the lifetime of a decaying dark matter particle to tau >(7-9) × 10(exp 27) s at 95% CL (combining all three XMM-Newton cameras; the interval corresponds to the uncertainty of the dark matter column density in the direction of Draco). The PN camera, which has the highest sensitivity of the three, does show a positive spectral residual (above the carefully modeled continuum) at E = 3.54 +/- 0.06 keV with a 2.3(sigma) significance. The two MOS cameras show less-significant or no positive deviations, consistently within 1(sigma) with PN. Our Draco limit on tau is consistent with previous detections in the stacked galaxy clusters, M31 and the Galactic Centre within their 1 - 2(sigma) uncertainties, but is inconsistent with the high signal from the core of the Perseus cluster (which has itself been inconsistent with the rest of the detections). We conclude that this Draco observation does not exclude the dark matter interpretation of the 3.5 keV line in those objects.

  18. The Broad Iron K-alpha line of Cygnus X-1 as Seen by XMM-Newton in the EPIC-pn Modified Timing Mode

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duro, Refiz; Dauser, Thomas; Wilms, Jorn; Pottschmidt, Katja; Nowak, Michael A.; Fritz, Sonja; Kendziorra, Eckhard; Kirsch, Marcus G. F.; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Staubert, Rudiger

    2011-01-01

    We present the analysis of the broadened, flourescent iron K(alpha) line in simultaneous XMM-Newton and RXTE data from the black hole Cygnus X-I. The XMM-Newton data were taken in a modified version of the Timing Mode of the EPIC-pn camera. In this mode the lower energy threshold of the instrument is increased to 2.8 keV to avoid telemetry drop outs due to the brightness of the source, while at the same time preserving the signal to noise ratio in the Fe K(alpha) band. We find that the best-fit spectrum consists of the sum of an exponentially cut-off power-law and relativistically smeared, ionized reflection. The shape of the broadened Fe K(alpha) feature is due to strong Compton broadening combined with relativistic broadening. Assuming a standard, thin accretion disk, the black hole is close to maximally rotating. Key words. X-rays: binaries - black hole physics - gravitation

  19. A (likely) X-ray jet from NGC6217 observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falocco, Serena; Larsson, Josefin; Nandi, Sumana

    2017-12-01

    NGC6217 is a nearby spiral galaxy with a starburst region near its centre. Evidence for a low-luminosity Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) in its core has also been found in optical spectra. Intriguingly, X-ray observations by ROSAT revealed three knots aligned with the galaxy centre, resembling a jet structure. This paper presents a study of XMM-Newton observations made to assess the hypothesis of a jet emitted from the centre of NGC6217. The XMM data confirm the knots found with ROSAT and our spectral analysis shows that they have similar spectral properties with a hard photon index Γ ∼ 1.7. The core of NGC6217 is well fitted by a model with an AGN and a starburst component, where the AGN contributes at most 46 per cent of the total flux. The candidate jet has an apparent length ∼15 kpc and a luminosity of ∼5 × 1038 erg s- 1. It stands out by being hosted by a spiral galaxy, since jets are more widely associated with ellipticals. To explain the jet launching mechanism we consider the hypothesis of an advection dominated accretion flow with a low accretion rate. The candidate jet emitted from NGC6217 is intriguing since it represents a challenge to the current knowledge of the connection between AGN, jets and host galaxies.

  20. Monte Carlo simulations of soft proton flares: testing the physics with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fioretti, Valentina; Bulgarelli, Andrea; Malaguti, Giuseppe; Spiga, Daniele; Tiengo, Andrea

    2016-07-01

    Low energy protons (< 100 - 300 keV) in the Van Allen belt and the outer regions can enter the field of view of X-ray focusing telescopes, interact with the Wolter-I optics, and reach the focal plane. The funneling of soft protons was discovered after the damaging of the Chandra/ACIS Front-Illuminated CCDs in September 1999 after the first passages through the radiation belt. The use of special filters protects the XMM-Newton focal plane below an altitude of 70000 km, but above this limit the effect of soft protons is still present in the form of sudden ares in the count rate of the EPIC instruments that can last from hundreds of seconds to hours and can hardly be disentangled from X-ray photons, causing the loss of large amounts of observing time. The accurate characterization of (i) the distribution of the soft proton population, (ii) the physics interaction at play, and (iii) the effect on the focal plane, are mandatory to evaluate the background and design the proton magnetic diverter on board future X-ray focusing telescopes (e.g. ATHENA). Several solutions have been proposed so far for the primary population and the physics interaction, however the difficulty in precise angle and energy measurements in laboratory makes the smoking gun still unclear. Since the only real data available is the XMM-Newton spectrum of soft proton flares in orbit, we try to characterize the input proton population and the physics interaction by simulating, using the BoGEMMS framework, the proton interaction with a simplified model of the X-ray mirror module and the focal plane, and comparing the result with a real observation. The analysis of ten orbits of observations of the EPIC/pn instrument show that the detection of flares in regions far outside the radiation belt is largely influenced by the different orientation of the Earth's magnetosphere respect with XMM-Newton'os orbit, confirming the solar origin of the soft proton population. The Equator-S proton spectrum at 70000 km

  1. A High Resolution Spectroscopic Observation of CAL 83 with XMM-Newton/RGS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Paerels, Frits; Rasmussen, Andrew P.; Hartmann, H. W.; Heise, J.; Brinkman, A. C.; deVries, C. P.; denHerder, J.-W.

    2000-01-01

    We present the first high resolution photospheric X-ray spectrum of a Supersoft X-ray Source, the famous CAL 83 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The spectrum was obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on XMM-Newton during the Calibration/Performance Verification phase of the observatory. The spectrum covers the range 20-40 A at an approximately constant resolution of 0.05 A, and shows very significant, intricate detail, that is very sensitive to the physical properties of the object. We present the results of an initial investigation of the spectrum, from which we draw the conclusion that the spectral structure is probably dominated by numerous absorption features due to transitions in the Gshells of the mid-2 elements and the M-shell of Fe, in addition to a few strong K-shell features due to CNO.

  2. XMM-Newton Observations of the Cluster of Galaxies Sersic 159-03

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaastra, J. S.; Ferrigno, C.; Tamura, T.; Paerels, F. B. S.; Peterson, J. R.; Mittaz, J. P. D.

    2000-01-01

    The cluster of galaxies Sersic 159-03 was observed with the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory as part of the Guaranteed Time program. X-ray spectra taken with the EPIC and RGS instruments show no evidence for the strong cooling flow derived from previous X-ray observations. There is a significant lack of cool gas below 1.5 keV as compared to standard isobaric cooling flow models. While the oxygen is distributed more or less uniformly over the cluster, iron shows a strong concentration in the center of the cluster, slightly offset from the brightness center but within the central cD galaxy. This points to enhanced type Ia supernova activity in the center of the cluster. There is also an elongated iron-rich structure ex- tending to the east of the cluster, showing the inhomogeneity of the iron distribution. Finally, the temperature drops rapidly beyond 4' from the cluster center.

  3. First XMM-Newton Observations of a Cataclysmic Variable II: Spectral Studies of OY Car

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramsay, Gavin; Cordova, France; Cottam, Jean; Mason, Keith; Much, Rudu; Osborne, Julian; Pandel, Dirk; Poole, Tracey; Wheatley, Peter

    2000-01-01

    We present XMM-Newton X-ray spectra of the disc accreting cataclysmic variable OY Car, which were obtained during the performance verification phase of the mission. These data were taken 4 days after a short outburst. In the EPIC spectra we find strong Iron K(beta) emission with weaker Iron K(alpha) emission together with Silicon and Sulphur lines. The spectra are best fitted with a three temperature plasma model with a partial covering absorber. Multiple temperature emission is confirmed by the emission lines seen in the RGS spectrum and the H/He like intensity ratio for Iron and Sulphur which imply temperatures of approx. 7keV and approx. 3keV respectively.

  4. Observaciones combinadas XMM-Newton/Chandra del remanente de supernova G306.3-0.9

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filócomo, A.; Combi, J. A.; García, F.; Suárez, A. E.; Luque-Escamilla, P. L.; Parón, S.

    2016-08-01

    In this paper we study the spatial and spectral distribution of the physical and chemical properties of the supernova remnant G306.3-0.9 by using data of the X-rays telescopes XMM-Newton and Chandra, which we complement with radio and infrared information in order to study the morphology of the source and the effect of the shock wave in the interestelar medium. The results show a non-uniform morphology of the emission, dominated by thermal radiation with high values of Ne, Mg, S, Ca, Ar and Fe in the central region, typical of ejecta material. Also, using an infrared flux distribution, we could restrict the type of the progenitor responsible of the supernova phenomena.

  5. Processing challenges in the XMM-Newton slew survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saxton, Richard D.; Altieri, Bruno; Read, Andrew M.; Freyberg, Michael J.; Esquej, M. P.; Bermejo, Diego

    2005-08-01

    The great collecting area of the mirrors coupled with the high quantum efficiency of the EPIC detectors have made XMM-Newton the most sensitive X-ray observatory flown to date. This is particularly evident during slew exposures which, while giving only 15 seconds of on-source time, actually constitute a 2-10 keV survey ten times deeper than current "all-sky" catalogues. Here we report on progress towards making a catalogue of slew detections constructed from the full, 0.2-12 keV energy band and discuss the challenges associated with processing the slew data. The fast (90 degrees per hour) slew speed results in images which are smeared, by different amounts depending on the readout mode, effectively changing the form of the point spread function. The extremely low background in slew images changes the optimum source searching criteria such that searching a single image using the full energy band is seen to be more sensitive than splitting the data into discrete energy bands. False detections due to optical loading by bright stars, the wings of the PSF in very bright sources and single-frame detector flashes are considered and techniques for identifying and removing these spurious sources from the final catalogue are outlined. Finally, the attitude reconstruction of the satellite during the slewing maneuver is complex. We discuss the implications of this on the positional accuracy of the catalogue.

  6. An XMM-Newton Monitoring Campaign of the Accretion Flow in IGRJ16318-4848

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor); Nicastro, Fabrizio

    2005-01-01

    This grant is associated to a successful XMM-Newton-AO3 observational proposal to monitor the spectrum of the X-ray loud component of the recently discovered binary system IGR J16138-4848, to study the conditions of the accretion flows (and their evolution) in binary system. All four EPIC-PN and MOS observations of the target have now been performed (the last one of the 4, only 3 months ago). The four observations were logarithmically spaced, so to cover timescales from days to months. Data from all four pointings have now been reduced, using the XMM-Newton data reduction pipeline, and spectra and lightcurves from the target have been extracted. For the first three observations we have already performed the observation-by-observation data analysis, by fitting the single EPIC spectra with spectral models that include an intrinsic continuum power law (reduced at low energy by neutral absorption), a 6.4 keV iron emission line (detected in all spectra with varying intensity) and a Compton-reflection component. A Compton reflection component is also detected in all spectra, although at lower significance. The analysis of the fourth and last observation of our monitoring campaign has just recently begun. Next, we will (1) stack together the four observations of IGR J16138-4848, to obtain high-accuracy estimates of the average spectral parameters of this object; and then (2) proceed to the time-evolving analysis, of the three spectral parameters: (a) Gamma (the slope of the intrinsic continuum), (b) W(FeK), the equivalent width of the 6.4 keV Iron emission line, and (c) R, the relative amount of Compton reflection. Through this time-resolved spectroscopic analysis we hope to constrain (a) the physical state of the accreting matter and its relation with the X-ray output, and (b) the evolution of the accretion flow geometry, distribution and covering factor.

  7. Contributions of the "Great" X-Ray Observatories (XMM-Newton and Chandra) to Astronomy and Astrophysics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weisskopf, Martin

    2011-01-01

    NASA s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA s XMM-Newton made their first observations over a decade ago. The unprecedented and complementary capabilities of these observatories to detect, image, and measure the energy of cosmic X-rays, achieved less than 50 years after the first detection of an extra-solar X-ray source, represent an increase in sensitivity comparable in going from naked-eye observations to the most powerful optical telescopes over the past 400 years. In this presentation we highlight some of the many discoveries made using these powerful X-ray observatories that have transformed 21st century astronomy. We briefly discuss future prospects for this truly exciting field.

  8. From EXOSAT to the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive (HEASARC): X-ray Astronomy Comes of Age

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    White, Nicholas E.

    2012-01-01

    In May 1983 the European Space Agency launched EXOSAT, its first X-ray astronomy observatory. Even though it lasted only 3 short years, this mission brought not only new capabilities that resulted in unexpected discoveries, but also a pioneering approach to operations and archiving that changed X-ray astronomy from observations led by small instrument teams, to an observatory approach open to the entire community through a guest observer program. The community use of the observatory was supported by a small dedicated team of scientists, the precursor to the data center activities created to support e.g. Chandra and XMM-Newton. The new science capabilities of EX OS AT included a 90 hr highly eccentric high earth orbit that allow unprecedented continuous coverage of sources as well as direct communication with the satellite that allowed real time decisions to respond to unexpected events through targets of opportunity. The advantages of this orbit demonstrated by EXOSAT resulted in Chandra and XMM-Newton selecting similar orbits. The three instruments on board the EXOSAT observatory were complementary, designed to give complete coverage over a wide energy band pass of 0.05-50 keY. An onboard processor could be programmed to give multiple data modes that could be optimized in response to science discoveries: These new capabilities resulted in many new discoveries including the first comprehensive study of AGN variability, new orbital periods in X-ray binaries and cataclysmic variables, new black holes, quasi-periodic oscillations from neutron stars and black holes and broad band X-ray spectroscopy. The EXOSAT team generated a well-organized database accessible worldwide over the nascent internet, allowing remote selection of data products, making samples and undertaking surveys from the data. The HEASARC was established by NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in 1990 as the repository of NASA X-ray and Gamma-ray data. The proven EXOSAT database system became the core

  9. The XMM-Newton view of the non-thermal supernova remnant HESS J1731-347

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Puehlhofer, G.; Doroshenko, V.; Acero, F.; Bamba, A.; Klochkov, D.; Tian, W.

    2017-10-01

    HESS J1731-347 belongs to a small group of supernova remnants that are characterized by a spatially-resolved shell-type TeV morphology and strong synchrotron X-ray emission. We report on XMM-Newton observations of the source that provide for the first time a complete X-ray view of the remnant. The data show an emissivity gradient across the source, which is not observed in the TeV gamma-ray and radio bands. While the broadband spectral analysis is compatible with a pure leptonic emission scenario up to TeV energies, the morphological analysis could be indicative of a blend of hadronic and leptonic TeV emission. We discuss the possibility of an interaction of the supernova remnant with nearby molecular clouds.

  10. Synergy Between Archives, VO, and the Grid at ESAC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arviset, C.; Alvarez, R.; Gabriel, C.; Osuna, P.; Ott, S.

    2011-07-01

    Over the years, in support to the Science Operations Centers at ESAC, we have set up two Grid infrastructures. These have been built: 1) to facilitate daily research for scientists at ESAC, 2) to provide high computing capabilities for project data processing pipelines (e.g., Herschel), 3) to support science operations activities (e.g., calibration monitoring). Furthermore, closer collaboration between the science archives, the Virtual Observatory (VO) and data processing activities has led to an other Grid use case: the Remote Interface to XMM-Newton SAS Analysis (RISA). This web service-based system allows users to launch SAS tasks transparently to the GRID, save results on http-based storage and visualize them through VO tools. This paper presents real and operational use cases of Grid usages in these contexts

  11. Flares from small to large: X-ray spectroscopy of Proxima Centauri with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Güdel, M.; Audard, M.; Reale, F.; Skinner, S. L.; Linsky, J. L.

    2004-03-01

    size occurring much more frequently on more active stars, we propose that the X-ray properties of active stars are a consequence of superimposed flares such as the example analyzed in this paper. Since larger flares produce hotter plasma, such a model also explains why, during episodes of low-level emission, more active stars show hotter plasma than less active stars. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA).

  12. NuSTAR + XMM-Newton monitoring of the neutron star transient AX J1745.6-2901

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponti, G.; Bianchi, S.; Muñoz-Darias, T.; Mori, K.; De, K.; Rau, A.; De Marco, B.; Hailey, C.; Tomsick, J.; Madsen, K. K.; Clavel, M.; Rahoui, F.; Lal, D. V.; Roy, S.; Stern, D.

    2018-01-01

    AX J1745.6-2901 is a high-inclination (eclipsing) transient neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binary showcasing intense ionized Fe K absorption. We present here the analysis of 11 XMM-Newton and 15 NuSTAR new data sets (obtained between 2013 and 2016), therefore tripling the number of observations of AX J1745.6-2901 in outburst. Thanks to simultaneous XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra, we greatly improve on the fitting of the X-ray continuum. During the soft state, the emission can be described by a disc blackbody (kT ∼ 1.1-1.2 keV and inner disc radius rDBB ∼ 14 km), plus hot (kT ∼ 2.2-3.0 keV) blackbody radiation with a small emitting radius (rBB ∼ 0.5 - 0.8 km) likely associated with the boundary layer or NS surface, plus a faint Comptonization component. Imprinted on the spectra are clear absorption features created by both neutral and ionized matter. Additionally, positive residuals suggestive of an emission Fe K α disc line and consistent with relativistic ionized reflection are present during the soft state, while such residuals are not significant during the hard state. The hard-state spectra are characterized by a hard (Γ ∼ 1.9-2.1) power law, showing no evidence for a high energy cut-off (kTe > 60-140 keV) and implying a small optical depth (τ < 1.6). The new observations confirm the previously witnessed trend of exhibiting strong Fe K absorption in the soft state that significantly weakens during the hard state. Optical (GROND) and radio (GMRT) observations suggest for AX J1745.6-2901 a standard broad-band spectral energy distribution as typically observed in accreting NSs.

  13. NuSTAR and XMM-Newton Observations of 1E1743.1-2843: Indications of a Neutron Star LMXB Nature of the Compact Object

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lotti, Simone; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Mori, Kaya; Baganoff, Frederick K.; Boggs, Steven E.; Christensen, Finn E.; Craig, William W.; Hailey, Charles J.; Harrison, Fiona A.; Hong, Jaesub; hide

    2016-01-01

    We report on the results of NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the persistent X-ray source 1E1743.1-2843, located in the Galactic Center region. The source was observed between 2012 September and October by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton, providing almost simultaneous observations in the hard and soft X-ray bands. The high X-ray luminosity points to the presence of an accreting compact object. We analyze the possibilities of this accreting compact object being either a neutron star (NS) or a black hole, and conclude that the joint XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectrum from 0.3 to 40 keV fits a blackbody spectrum with kT approximately 1.8 keV emitted from a hot spot or an equatorial strip on an NS surface. This spectrum is thermally Comptonized by electrons with kTe approximately 4.6 keV. Accepting this NS hypothesis, we probe the low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) or high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) nature of the source. While the lack of Type-I bursts can be explained in the LMXB scenario, the absence of pulsations in the 2 MHz-49 Hz frequency range, the lack of eclipses and of an IR companion, and the lack of a Kaline from neutral or moderately ionized iron strongly disfavor interpreting this source as a HMXB. We therefore conclude that 1E1743.1-2843 is most likely an NS-LMXB located beyond the Galactic Center. There is weak statistical evidence for a soft X-ray excess which may indicate thermal emission from an accretion disk. However, the disk normalization remains unconstrained due to the high hydrogen column density (N(sub H) approximately 1.6 x 10(exp 23) cm(exp -2)).

  14. XMM-Newton Observation of IGR J18538-0102 and an Optical/IR Candidate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Halpern, J. P.; Gotthelf, E. V.

    2010-02-01

    We observed the X-ray counterpart of IGR J18538-0102 (Stephen et al., ATel #2441) in a pointed observation with XMM-Newton on 2004 October 8. This apparently steady source (in an 8 ks exposure) can be fitted with a power-law model of photon index 1.7+/-0.1, NH = (1.5+/-0.2)e22 cm-2, and unabsorbed 1-10 keV flux 5.6e-12 erg cm-2 s-1. Its coordinates 18h53m48.50s, -01d02'30.0" (J2000), with 90% confidence error radius of 3.2", coincide with an object in the 2MASS Point Source Catalog at 18h53m48.48s, -01d02'29.6" of magnitudes H=14.00+/-0.05 and K=12.50+/-0.05.

  15. An XMM-Newton Study of 9SGR and the Lagoon Nebula

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rauw, G.; Blomme, R.; Waldron, W. L.; Naze, Y.; Harries, T. J.; Chapman, J. M.; Corcoran, M. F.; Detal, A.; Gosset, E.

    2001-01-01

    We report preliminary results of an XMM-Newton observation of the 04 V star 9 Sgr (= HD 164794). 9 Sgr is one of a few single OB stars that display a non-thermal radio emission attributed to synchrotron emission by relativistic electrons. Inverse Compton scattering of photospheric UV photons by these relativistic electrons is a priori expected to generate a non-thermal power-law tail in the X-ray spectrum. Our EPIC and RGS spectra of 9 Sgr suggest a more complex situation than expected from this 'simple' theoretical picture. Furthermore, soft-band EPIC images of the region around 9 Sgr reveal a number of point sources inside the Lagoon Nebula (M8). Most of these sources have optical counterparts inside the very young open cluster NGC 6530 and several X-ray sources are associated with low and intermediate mass pre-main sequence stars. Finally, we also detect (probably) diffuse X-ray emission from the Hourglass Region that might reveal a hot bubble blown by the stellar wind of Herschel 36, the ionizing star of the HG region.

  16. An XMM-Newton view of the radio galaxy 3C 411

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bostrom, Allison; Reynolds, Christopher S.; Tombesi, Francesco

    We present the first high signal-to-noise XMM-Newton observations of the broad-line radio galaxy 3C 411. After fitting various spectral models, an absorbed double power-law (PL) continuum and a blurred relativistic disk reflection model (kdblur) are found to be equally plausible descriptions of the data. While the softer PL component (Γ = 2.11) of the double PL model is entirely consistent with that found in Seyfert galaxies (and hence likely originates from a disk corona), the additional PL component is very hard (Γ = 1.05); amongst the active galactic nucleus zoo, only flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQ) have such hard spectra. Togethermore » with the flat radio-spectrum displayed by this source, we suggest that it should instead be classified as an FSRQ. This leads to potential discrepancies regarding the jet inclination angle, with the radio morphology suggesting a large jet inclination but the FSRQ classification suggesting small inclinations. The kdblur model predicts an inner disk radius of at most 20 r {sub g} and relativistic reflection.« less

  17. Coronal Structures in Cool Stars: XMM-NEWTON Hybrid Stars and Coronal Evolution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dupree, Andrea K.; Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor)

    2003-01-01

    This program addresses the evolution of stellar coronas by comparing a solar-like corona in the supergiant Beta Dra (G2 Ib-IIa) to the corona in the allegedly more evolved state of a hybrid star, alpha TrA (K2 II-III). Because the hybrid star has a massive wind, it appears likely that the corona will be cooler and less dense as the magnetic loop structures are no longer closed. By analogy with solar coronal holes, when the topology of the magnetic field is configured with open magnetic structures, both the coronal temperature and density are lower than in atmospheres dominated by closed loops. The hybrid stars assume a pivotal role in the definition of coronal evolution, atmospheric heating processes and mechanisms to drive winds of cool stars. We are attempting to determine if this model of coronal evolution is correct by using XMM-NEWTON RGS spectra for the 2 targets we were allocated through the Guest Observer program.

  18. Applications for edge detection techniques using Chandra and XMM-Newton data: galaxy clusters and beyond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walker, S. A.; Sanders, J. S.; Fabian, A. C.

    2016-09-01

    The unrivalled spatial resolution of the Chandra X-ray observatory has allowed many breakthroughs to be made in high-energy astrophysics. Here we explore applications of Gaussian gradient magnitude (GGM) filtering to X-ray data, which dramatically improves the clarity of surface brightness edges in X-ray observations, and maps gradients in X-ray surface brightness over a range of spatial scales. In galaxy clusters, we find that this method is able to reveal remarkable substructure behind the cold fronts in Abell 2142 and Abell 496, possibly the result of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. In Abell 2319 and Abell 3667, we demonstrate that the GGM filter can provide a straightforward way of mapping variations in the widths and jump ratios along the lengths of cold fronts. We present results from our ongoing programme of analysing the Chandra and XMM-Newton archives with the GGM filter. In the Perseus cluster, we identify a previously unseen edge around 850 kpc from the core to the east, lying outside a known large-scale cold front, which is possibly a bow shock. In MKW 3s we find an unusual `V' shape surface brightness enhancement starting at the cluster core, which may be linked to the AGN jet. In the Crab nebula a new, moving feature in the outer part of the torus is identified which moves across the plane of the sky at a speed of ˜0.1c, and lies much further from the central pulsar than the previous motions seen by Chandra.

  19. Spectral and Temporal Characteristics of LS PEG and TW PIC Using XMM-NEWTON Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Talebpour Sheshvan, Nasrin; Balman, Solen

    2016-07-01

    We report the analysis of archival XMM-Newton X-ray observations of LS Peg and TW Pic. These are Cataclysmic Variables (CVs) suggested as Intermediate Polars (IPs), but unconfirmed in the X-rays. Identification of several periodic oscillations in the optical band hint them as IPs. Unlike the previous spectral analysis on the EPIC-MOS data by fitting a hot optically thin plasma emission model with a single temperature for LS Peg, we simultaneously fitted all EPIC spectrum (pn+MOS) using a composite model of absorption for interstellar medium (tbabs) with two different partial covering absorbers (pcfabs) including a multitemperature plasma emission component (cevmkl) and a Gaussian emission line at 6.4 keV. TW Pic is best modeled in a similar manner with only one partial covering absorber and an extra Gaussian emission line at 6.7 keV. LS Peg has a maximum plasma temperature of ˜14.8 keV with an X-ray luminosity of ˜5×10^{32}ergs ^{-1} translating to an accretion rate of ˜1.27×10^{-10}M _{⊙}yr ^{-1}. TW Pic shows kT _{max} ˜38.7 keV with an X-ray luminosity around 1.6×10^{33}ergs ^{-1} at an accretion rate of ˜4×10^{-10}M _{⊙}yr ^{-1}. In addition, we discuss orbital modulations in the X-rays and power spectral analysis, and derive the EPIC pn spectra for orbital minimum and orbital maximum phases for both sources. We elaborate on the geometry of accretion and absorption in the X-ray emitting regions of both sources with articulation on the magnetic nature.

  20. XMM-Newton Observations of NGC 507: Supersolar Metal Abundances in the Hot Interstellar Medium

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Dong-Woo; Fabbiano, Giuseppina

    2004-10-01

    We present the results of the X-ray XMM-Newton observations of NGC 507, a dominant elliptical galaxy in a small group of galaxies, and report supersolar metal abundances of both Fe and α-elements in the hot interstellar medium (ISM) of this galaxy. These results are robust in that we considered all possible systematic effects in our analysis. We find ZFe=2-3 times solar inside the D25 ellipse of NGC 507. This is the highest ZFe reported so far for the hot halo of an elliptical galaxy; this high iron abundance is fully consistent with the predictions of stellar evolution models, which include the yield of both Type II and Type Ia supernovae (SNe). Our analysis shows that abundance measurements are critically dependent on the selection of the proper emission model. The spatially resolved, high-quality XMM-Newton spectra provide enough statistics to formally require at least three emission components in each of four circumnuclear concentric shells (within 5' or 100 kpc): two soft thermal components indicating a range of temperatures in the hot ISM plus a harder component, consistent with the integrated output of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in NGC 507. The two-component (thermal+LMXB) model customarily used in past studies yields a much lower ZFe, consistent with previous reports of subsolar metal abundances. This model, however, gives a significantly worse fit to the data (F-test probability<0.0001). The abundance of α-elements (most accurately determined by Si) is also found to be supersolar. The α-element-to-Fe abundance ratio is close to the solar ratio, suggesting that ~70% of the iron mass in the hot ISM originated from Type Ia SNe. The α-element-to-Fe abundance ratio remains constant out to at least 100 kpc, indicating that Types II and Ia SN ejecta are well mixed on a scale much larger than the extent of the stellar body.

  1. THE XMM-NEWTON WIDE-FIELD SURVEY IN THE COSMOS FIELD (XMM-COSMOS): DEMOGRAPHY AND MULTIWAVELENGTH PROPERTIES OF OBSCURED AND UNOBSCURED LUMINOUS ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Brusa, M.; Cappelluti, N.; Merloni, A.

    2010-06-10

    We report the final optical identifications of the medium-depth ({approx}60 ks), contiguous (2 deg{sup 2}) XMM-Newton survey of the COSMOS field. XMM-Newton has detected {approx}1800 X-ray sources down to limiting fluxes of {approx}5 x 10{sup -16}, {approx}3 x 10{sup -15}, and {approx}7 x 10{sup -15} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} in the 0.5-2 keV, 2-10 keV, and 5-10 keV bands, respectively ({approx}1 x 10{sup -15}, {approx}6 x 10{sup -15}, and {approx}1 x 10{sup -14} erg cm{sup -2} s{sup -1}, in the three bands, respectively, over 50% of the area). The work is complemented by an extensive collection of multiwavelength datamore » from 24 {mu}m to UV, available from the COSMOS survey, for each of the X-ray sources, including spectroscopic redshifts for {approx}>50% of the sample, and high-quality photometric redshifts for the rest. The XMM and multiwavelength flux limits are well matched: 1760 (98%) of the X-ray sources have optical counterparts, 1711 ({approx}95%) have IRAC counterparts, and 1394 ({approx}78%) have MIPS 24 {mu}m detections. Thanks to the redshift completeness (almost 100%) we were able to constrain the high-luminosity tail of the X-ray luminosity function confirming that the peak of the number density of log L{sub X} > 44.5 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is at z {approx} 2. Spectroscopically identified obscured and unobscured AGNs, as well as normal and star-forming galaxies, present well-defined optical and infrared properties. We devised a robust method to identify a sample of {approx}150 high-redshift (z > 1), obscured AGN candidates for which optical spectroscopy is not available. We were able to determine that the fraction of the obscured AGN population at the highest (L{sub X} > 10{sup 44} erg s{sup -1}) X-ray luminosity is {approx}15%-30% when selection effects are taken into account, providing an important observational constraint for X-ray background synthesis. We studied in detail the optical spectrum and the overall spectral energy

  2. Evidence of Spin and Energy Extraction in a Galactic Black Hole Candidate: The XMM-NEWTON/EPIC SPECTRUM of XTE 11650-500

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, J. M.; Fabian, A. C.; Wunands, R.; Reynolds, C. S.; Ehle, M.; Freyberg, M. J.; VanDerKlis, M.; Lewin, W. H. G.; Sanchez-Fernandez, C.; Castro-Tirado, A. J.

    2002-01-01

    We observed the Galactic black hole candidate XTE J1650-500 early in its fall of 2001 outburst with the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging pn Camera (EPIC-pn). The observed spectrum is consistent with the source having been in the very high state. We h d a broad, skewed Fe Kar emission line that suggests the primary in this system may be a Kerr black hole and that indicates a steep disk emissivity profile that is hard to explain in terms of a standard accretion disk model. These results are quantitatively and qualitatively similar to those from an XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert galaxy MCG -6-30-15. The steep emissivity in MCG -6-30-15 may be explained by the extraction and dissipation of rotational energy from a black hole with nearly maximal angular momentum or from material in the plunging region via magnetic connections to the inner accretion disk. If this process is at work in both sources, an exotic but fundamental general relativistic prediction may be confirmed across a factor of l0(exp 6) in black hole mass. We discuss these results in terms of the accretion flow geometry in stellar-mass black holes and the variety of enigmatic phenomena often observed in the very high state.

  3. XMM Observations of Low Mass Groups

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, David S.

    2005-01-01

    The contents of this report contains discussion of the two-dimensional XMM-Newton group survey. The analysis of the NGC 2300 and Pavo observations indicated by the azimuthally averaged analysis that the temperature structure is minimal to the NGC2300 system; however, the Pavo system shows signs of a merger in progress. XMM data is used to generate two dimensional maps of the temperature and abundance used to generate maps of pressure and entropy.

  4. A Deep XMM-Newton Survey of M33: Point-source Catalog, Source Detection, and Characterization of Overlapping Fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, Benjamin F.; Wold, Brian; Haberl, Frank; Garofali, Kristen; Blair, William P.; Gaetz, Terrance J.; Kuntz, K. D.; Long, Knox S.; Pannuti, Thomas G.; Pietsch, Wolfgang; Plucinsky, Paul P.; Winkler, P. Frank

    2015-05-01

    We have obtained a deep 8 field XMM-Newton mosaic of M33 covering the galaxy out to the D25 isophote and beyond to a limiting 0.2-4.5 keV unabsorbed flux of 5 × 10-16 erg cm-2 s-1 (L \\gt 4 × 1034 erg s-1 at the distance of M33). These data allow complete coverage of the galaxy with high sensitivity to soft sources such as diffuse hot gas and supernova remnants (SNRs). Here, we describe the methods we used to identify and characterize 1296 point sources in the 8 fields. We compare our resulting source catalog to the literature, note variable sources, construct hardness ratios, classify soft sources, analyze the source density profile, and measure the X-ray luminosity function (XLF). As a result of the large effective area of XMM-Newton below 1 keV, the survey contains many new soft X-ray sources. The radial source density profile and XLF for the sources suggest that only ˜15% of the 391 bright sources with L \\gt 3.6 × 1035 erg s-1 are likely to be associated with M33, and more than a third of these are known SNRs. The log(N)-log(S) distribution, when corrected for background contamination, is a relatively flat power law with a differential index of 1.5, which suggests that many of the other M33 sources may be high-mass X-ray binaries. Finally, we note the discovery of an interesting new transient X-ray source, which we are unable to classify.

  5. Extremely Hard X-ray Emission from Eta Carinae observed with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR around Periastron in 2014.5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamaguchi, Kenji; Corcoran, Michael F.; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Yuasa, Tadayuki; Groh, Jose H.; Russell, Christopher Michael Post; Pittard, Julian M.; Madura, Thomas; Owocki, Stanley P.; Grefenstette, Brian

    2015-01-01

    The super massive colliding wind binary system, Eta Carinae, experienced another periastron passage in the summer of 2014. We monitored this event using the multiple X-ray observatories, Chandra, XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, Suzaku and Swift. With a high eccentricity of its 5.5 year orbit, X-ray emission from the wind-wind collision (WWC) increases strongly toward periastron but then drops sharply by more than two orders of magnitude in two weeks around periastron due probably to an eclipse and an intrinsic activity decline of the WWC plasma. In this observing campaign, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR coordinated two simultaneous observations around the X-ray flux maximum on June 6 and just before the flux minimum on July 28. These two observations captured Eta Carinae with X-ray focusing telescopes in the extreme hard X-ray band above 10 keV for the first time.During the first observation, XMM and NuSTAR detected stable X-ray emission from the central binary system between 1 - 40 keV. A fit of a 1-temperature bremsstrahlung model to the high energy slope in the NuSTAR spectrum derives an electron temperature of ~6 keV, which is significantly higher than an ionization temperature at ~4.5 keV, measured from the Fe K emission lines resolved in the XMM spectrum.This result suggests the presence of very hot plasma and/or X-ray reflection at surrounding cold material. During the second observation, the X-ray flux between 5 - 10 keV declined steadily by a factor of ~2 in a day, while the other energy bands were rather stable. This variation may be explained by an increase of the line of sight absorption to emission from the plasma component that dominates above 5 keV. NuSTAR did not detect, in either observation, the very hard non-thermal component that dominated emission above 25 keV seen in earlier INTEGRAL and Suzaku observations. We discuss the plasma condition and the wind structure of Eta Carinae around periastron, and the nature of the non-thermal component.

  6. Radial Profiles of PKS 0745-191 Galaxy Cluster with XMM-Newton X-Ray Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tumer, A.; Ezer, C.; Ercan, E.

    2017-10-01

    Since clusters of galaxies are the largest comprehensive samples of the universe, they provide essential information on from the most basic to the most complex physical mechanisms such as nucleosynthesis and supernovae events. Some of these information are provided by the X-ray emission data from Intra Cluster Medium (ICM) which contains hot dilute gas. Recent archieved observation of the X-Ray spectrum of the cool core galaxy cluster PKS 0745-191 provided by XMM-Newton is subjected to data analysis using ESAS package. Followed by spectra analysis utilizing Xspec spectral fitting software, we present the radial profiles of temperature and abundance from the core to 0.5R_500 of brightest distant cluster (z ˜ 0.102) PKS 0745-191. Using the deprojected spectra, the radial distribution of pressure and entropy in the aforementioned region are also presented.

  7. XMM-Newton Proposal 03039101

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hernanz, Margarita

    2004-10-01

    Two recent galactic novae, V2487 Oph 1998 and V4633 Sgr 1998, have been detec- ted in both soft and hard X-rays with XMM. V2487 Oph showed an iron fluores- cent line only 2.7 yrs after its explosion, a clear signature of the very fast recovery of accretion, and V4633 Sgr displayed hard X-ray emission not clearly attributable to shocked ejecta or accretion. Longer observations are needed to do accurate timing and high resolution spectroscopy, essential to determine the main properties of the underlying cataclysmic variable in V2487 Oph (first nova seen in X-rays prior and after exploding) and to disentangle the origin of the hard X-rays from V4633 Sgr, through an analysis of the chemical compo- sition of the emitting thermal plasma, solar if accretion, non solar if ejecta.

  8. Spatially resolved spectroscopy analysis of the XMM-Newton large program on SN1006

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Jiang-Tao; Decourchelle, Anne; Miceli, Marco; Vink, Jacco; Bocchino, Fabrizio

    2016-04-01

    We perform analysis of the XMM-Newton large program on SN1006 based on our newly developed methods of spatially resolved spectroscopy analysis. We extract spectra from low and high resolution meshes. The former (3596 meshes) is used to roughly decompose the thermal and non-thermal components and characterize the spatial distributions of different parameters, such as temperature, abundances of different elements, ionization age, and electron density of the thermal component, as well as photon index and cutoff frequency of the non-thermal component. On the other hand, the low resolution meshes (583 meshes) focus on the interior region dominated by the thermal emission and have enough counts to well characterize the Si lines. We fit the spectra from the low resolution meshes with different models, in order to decompose the multiple plasma components at different thermal and ionization states and compare their spatial distributions. In this poster, we will present the initial results of this project.

  9. X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Cluster of Galaxies Abell 1795 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tamura, T.; Kaastra, J. S.; Peterson, J. R.; Paerels, F.; Mittaz, J. P. D.; Trudolyubov, S. P.; Stewart, G.; Fabian, A. C.; Mushotzky, R. F.; Lumb, D. H.

    2000-01-01

    The initial results from XMM-Newton observations of the rich cluster of galaxies Abell 1795 are presented. The spatially-resolved X-ray spectra taken by the European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC) show a temperature drop at a radius of - 200 kpc from the cluster center, indicating that the ICM is cooling. Both the EPIC and the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) spectra extracted from the cluster center can be described by an isothermal model with a temperature of approx. 4 keV. The volume emission measure of any cool component (less than 1 keV) is less than a few % of the hot component at the cluster center. A strong O VIII Lyman alpha line was detected with the RGS from the cluster core. The O abundance of the ICM is 0.2-0.5 times the solar value. The O to Fe ratio at the cluster center is 0.5 - 1.5 times the solar ratio.

  10. The Jet/Disk Connection in AGN: Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of Three Powerful Radio-Loud Quasars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sambruna, Rita; Gliozzi, Mario; Tavecchio, F.; Maraschi, L.; Foschini, Luigi

    2007-01-01

    The connection between the accretion process that powers AGN and the formation of jets is still poorly understood. Here we tackle this issue using new, deep Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of tlie cores of three powerful radio loud quasars: 1136-135, 1150+497 (Chandra), and 0723+679 (XMM-Newton), in the redshift range z=0.3-0.8. These sources are known from our previous Chandra siiapsliot survey to liave kpc-scale X-ray jets. In 1136-135 and 1150-1+497; evidence is found for the presence of diffuse thermal X-ray emission around the cores; on scales of 40-50 kpc and with luminosity L(sub 0.3-2 kev approx. 10(sup 43) erg per second, suggesting thermal emission from the host galaxy or a galaxy group. The X-ray continua of the cores in the three sources are described by an upward-curved (concave) broken power law, with photon indices GAMMA (sub soft) approx. 1.8 - 2.1 and GAMMA (sub hard) approx. 1.7 below and above approx. equal to 2 keV, respectively. There is evidence for an uiiresolved Fe K alpha line with EW approx. 70 eV in the three quasars. The Spectral Energy Distributions of the sources can be well described by a mix of jet and disk emission, with the jet dominating the radio and hard X-rays (via synchrotron and external Compton) and the disk dominating the optical/UV through soft X-rays. The ratio of the jet-to-disk powers is approx. 1, consistent with those derived for a number of gamma ray emitting blazars. This indicates that near equality of accretion and jet power may be common in powerful radio-loud AGN.

  11. Nature of the Unidentified TeV Source HESS J1614-518 Revealed by Suzaku and XMM-Newton Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakai, M.; Yajima, Y.; Matsumoto, H.

    2013-03-01

    We report new results concerning HESS J1614-518, which exhibits two regions with intense γ-ray emission. The south and center regions of HESS J1614-518 were observed with Suzaku in 2008, while the north region with the 1st brightest peak was observed in 2006. No X-ray counterpart is found at the 2nd brightest peak; the upper limit of the X-ray flux is estimated as 1.6 × 10-13 erg cm-2 s-1 in the 2-10 keV band. A previously-known soft X-ray source, Suzaku J1614-5152, is detected at the center of HESS J1614-518. Analyzing the XMM-Newton archival data, we reveal that Suzaku J1614-5152 consists of multiple point sources. The X-ray spectrum of the brightest point source, XMMU J161406.0-515225, could be described by a power-law model with the photon index Γ = 5.2+0.6-0.5 or a blackbody model with the temperature kT = 0.38+0.04-0.04 {keV}. In the blackbody model, the estimated column density N H = 1.1+0.3-0.2 × 1022 {cm}-2 is almost the same as that of the hard extended X-ray emission in Suzaku J1614-5141, spatially coincident with the 1st peak position. In this case, XMMU J161406.0-515225 may be physically related to Suzaku J1614-5141 and HESS J1614-518.

  12. Quasar spectral variability from the XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Serafinelli, R.; Vagnetti, F.; Middei, R.

    2017-04-01

    Context. X-ray spectral variability analyses of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with moderate luminosities and redshifts typically show a "softer when brighter" behaviour. Such a trend has rarely been investigated for high-luminosity AGNs (Lbol ≳ 1044 erg/s), nor for a wider redshift range (e.g. 0 ≲ z ≲ 5). Aims: We present an analysis of spectral variability based on a large sample of 2700 quasars, measured at several different epochs, extracted from the fifth release of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue. Methods: We quantified the spectral variability through the parameter β defined as the ratio between the change in the photon index Γ and the corresponding logarithmic flux variation, β = -ΔΓ/Δlog FX. Results: Our analysis confirms a softer when brighter behaviour for our sample, extending the previously found general trend to high luminosity and redshift. We estimate an ensemble value of the spectral variability parameter β = -0.69 ± 0.03. We do not find dependence of β on redshift, X-ray luminosity, black hole mass or Eddington ratio. A subsample of radio-loud sources shows a smaller spectral variability parameter. There is also some change with the X-ray flux, with smaller β (in absolute value) for brighter sources. We also find significant correlations for a small number of individual sources, indicating more negative values for some sources.

  13. A survey of stellar X-ray flares from the XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue: HIPPARCOS-Tycho cool stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pye, J. P.; Rosen, S.; Fyfe, D.; Schröder, A. C.

    2015-09-01

    exposure time, where it is important to consider both the stars seen to flare and those from which variability was not detected (i.e. measured as non-variable), since in our survey, the latter outnumber the former by more than a factor ten. The serendipitous variable and "non-variable" stars appear very similar in terms of the distributions of general properties such as quiescent X-ray luminosity; from the available data, it is unclear whether the distinction by flaring is due to an additional, intrinsic property such as intra-system interactions in a close binary system, or is simply the result of limited observations and detection thresholds on a random flaring process, with no real difference between the two samples, or may be a combination of these effects. However, the number of detected flares compared with the number of stars not seen to vary is broadly consistent with estimates based on Poisson statistics. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgTables C.1 and C.2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/581/A28

  14. XMM-Newton observations of NGC 3268 in the Antlia Galaxy Cluster: characterization of a hidden group of galaxies at z ≈ 0.41

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gargiulo, I. D.; García, F.; Combi, J. A.; Caso, J. P.; Bassino, L. P.

    2018-05-01

    We report on a detailed X-ray study of the extended emission of the intracluster medium (ICM) around NGC 3268, in the Antlia cluster of galaxies, together with a characterization of an extended source in the field, namely a background cluster of galaxies at z ≈ 0.41, which was previously accounted as an X-ray point source. The spectral properties of the extended emission of the gas present in Antlia were studied using data from the XMM-Newton satellite complemented with optical images of CTIO-Blanco telescope, to attain for associations of the optical sources with the X-ray emission. The XMM-Newton observations show that the intracluster gas is concentrated in a region centred in one of the main galaxies of the cluster, NGC 3268. By means of a spatially-resolved spectral analysis we derived the abundances of the ICM plasma. We found a wall-like feature in the northeast direction where the gas is characterized by a lower temperature with respect to the rest of the ICM. Furthermore, using combined optical observations we inferred the presence of an elliptical galaxy in the centre of the extended X-ray source considered as a background cluster, which favours this interpretation.

  15. New Gener. High-Energy Spectra of the Blazar 3C 279 with XMM-Newton and GLAST

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Collmar, Werner

    2007-10-01

    We propose two 20 ksec XMM-Newton observations of the X-ray bright gamma-ray blazar 3C~279 simultaneous with GLAST/LAT. The main goal is to measure its X-ray properties (spectrum, variability) in order to (1) improve our knowledge on the X-ray emission of the blazar, and (2) to supplement and correlate them to simultaneous GLAST/LAT Gamma-ray observations (30 MeV-300 GeV). Simultaneous GLAST observations of 3C 279 are guaranteed (assuming proper operation then). The high-energy data will be supplemented by ground-based measurements, adding finally up to multifrequency spectra which have unprecedented accuracy and will extend up to high-energy gamma-rays. Such high-quality SEDs will provide severe constraints on their modeling and have the potential to discriminate among models.

  16. Analysis of Quasi-periodic Oscillations and Time Lag in Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources with XMM-Newton

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Zi-Jian; Xiao, Guang-Cheng; Zhang, Shu

    We investigated the power density spectrum (PDS) and time lag of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) observed by XMM-Newton . We determined the PDSs for each ULX and found that five of them show intrinsic variability due to obvious quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of mHz–1 Hz, consistent with previous reports. We further investigated these five ULXs to determine their possible time lag. The ULX QPOs exhibit a soft time lag that is linearly related to the QPO frequency. We discuss the likelihood of the ULX QPOs being type-C QPO analogs, and the time lag models. The ULXs might harbor intermediate-mass black holesmore » if their QPOs are type-C QPO analogs. We suggest that the soft lag and the linearity may be due to reverberation.« less

  17. Detection of a 9.4 min periodicity in the XMM-Newton and Chandra X-ray light curves of V407 Lup (Nova Lup 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beardmore, Andy; Dobrotka, Andrej; Ness, Jan-Uwe; Orio, Marina; Osborne, Julian; Page, Kim

    2017-09-01

    We report on the timing analysis of two long, uninterrupted X-ray observations of V407 Lup (also know as ASASSN-16kt and Nova Lup 2016; see ATel #9538, #9539, #9550, #9554, #9587, #9594 and #9644, #10632, #10722) performed with XMM-Newton for 22,000 s on 2017 March 11 and with the Chandra HRC_s and Low Energy Transmission Grating on 2017 August 30 for 34,000 s.

  18. Observing the Fast X-ray Spectral Variability of NLS1 1H1934-063 with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frederick, Sara; Kara, Erin; Reynolds, Christopher S.

    2017-08-01

    The most variable active galactic nuclei (AGN), taken together, are a compelling wellspring of interesting accretion-related phenomena. They can exhibit dramatic variability in the X-ray band on a range of timescales down to a few minutes. We present the exemplifying case study of 1H1934-063 (z = 0.0102), a narrow-line Seyfert I (NLS1) that is among the most variable AGN ever observed with XMM-Newton. We present spectral and temporal analyses of a concurrent XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observation taken in 2015 and lasting 120 ks, during which the source exhibited a steep (factor of 1.5) plummet and subsequent full recovery of flux that we explore in detail here. Combined spectral and timing results point to a dramatic change in the continuum on timescales as short as a few ks. Similar to other highly variable Seyfert 1s, this AGN is quite X-ray bright and displays strong reflection spectral features. We find agreement with a change in the continuum, and we rule out absorption as the cause for this dramatic variability observed even at NuSTAR energies. We compare detailed time-resolved spectral fitting with Fourier-based timing analysis in order to constrain coronal geometry, dynamics, and emission/absorption processes dictating the nature of this variability. We also announce the discovery of a Fe-K time lag between the hard X-ray continuum emission (1 - 4 keV) and its relativistically-blurred reflection off the inner accretion flow (0.3 - 1 keV).

  19. O Star Wind Mass-Loss Rates and Shock Physics from X-ray Line Profiles in Archival XMM RGS Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cohen, David

    O stars are characterized by their dense, supersonic stellar winds. These winds are the site of X-ray emission from shock-heated plasma. By analyzing high-resolution X-ray spectra of these O stars, we can learn about the wind-shock heating and X-ray production mechanism. But in addition, the X-rays can also be used to measure the mass-loss rate of the stellar wind, which is a key observational quantity whose value affects stellar evolution and energy, momentum, and mass input to the Galactic interstellar medium. We make this X-ray based mass-loss measurement by analyzing the profile shapes of the X-ray emission lines observed at high resolution with the Chandra and XMM-Newton grating spectrometers. One advantage of our method is that it is insensitive to small-scale clumping that affects density-squared diagnostics. We are applying this analysis technique to O stars in the Chandra archive, and are finding mass-loss rates lower than those traditionally assumed for these O stars, and in line with more recent independent determinations that do account for clumping. By extending this analysis to the XMM RGS data archive, we will make significant contributions to the understanding of both X-ray production in O stars and to addressing the issue of the actual mass-loss rates of O stars. The XMM RGS data archive provides several extensions and advantages over the smaller Chandra HETGS archive: (1) there are roughly twice as many O and early B stars in the XMM archive; (2) the longer wavelength response of the RGS provides access to diagnostically important lines of nitrogen and carbon; (3) the very long, multiple exposures of zeta Pup provide the opportunity to study this canonical O supergiant's X-ray spectrum in unprecedented detail, including looking at the time variability of X-ray line profiles. Our research team has developed a sophisticated empirical line profile model as well as a computational infrastructure for fitting the model to high-resolution X-ray spectra

  20. Insights on the X-ray weak quasar phenomenon from XMM-Newton monitoring of PHL 1092

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miniutti, G.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P.; Fabian, A. C.; Gallo, L. C.; Boller, Th.

    2012-09-01

    PHL 1092 is a z ˜ 0.4 high-luminosity counterpart of the class of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxies. In 2008, PHL 1092 was found to be in a remarkably low X-ray flux state during an XMM-Newton observation. Its 2 keV flux density had dropped by a factor of ˜260 with respect to a previous observation performed 4.5 yr earlier. The ultraviolet (UV) flux remained almost constant, resulting in a significant steepening of the optical-to-X-ray slope αox from -1.57 to -2.51, making PHL 1092 one of the most extreme X-ray weak quasars with no observed broad absorption lines (BALs) in the UV. We have monitored the source since 2008 with three further XMM-Newton observations, producing a simultaneous UV and X-ray data base spanning almost 10 yr in total in the activity of the source. Our monitoring programme demonstrates that the αox variability in PHL 1092 is entirely driven by long-term X-ray flux changes. We apply a series of physically motivated models with the goal of explaining the UV-to-X-ray spectral energy distribution and the extreme X-ray and αox variability. We consider three possible models. (i) A breathing corona scenario in which the size of the X-ray-emitting corona is correlated with the X-ray flux. In this case, the lowest X-ray flux states of PHL 1092 are associated with an almost complete collapse of the X-ray corona down to the marginal stable orbit. (ii) An absorption scenario in which the X-ray flux variability is entirely due to intervening absorption. If so, PHL 1092 is a quasar with standard X-ray output for its optical luminosity, appearing as X-ray weak at times due to absorption. (iii) A disc-reflection-dominated scenario in which the X-ray-emitting corona is confined within a few gravitational radii from the black hole at all times. In this case, the intrinsic variability of PHL 1092 only needs to be a factor of ˜10 rather than the observed factor of ˜260. We discuss these scenarios in the context of non-BAL X-ray weak quasars.

  1. Simultaneous NuSTAR and XMM-Newton 0.5-80 KeV Spectroscopy of the Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy SWIFT J2127.4+5654

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Marinucci, A.; Matt, G.; Kara, E.; Miniutti, G.; Elvis, M.; Arevalo, P.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Balokovic, M.; Bauer, F.; Brenneman, L.; hide

    2014-01-01

    We present a broad-band spectral analysis of the joint XMM-Newton and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observational campaign of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 SWIFT J2127.4+5654, consisting of 300 kiloseconds performed during three XMM-Newton orbits. We detect a relativistic broadened iron K-alpha line originating from the innermost regions of the accretion disc surrounding the central black hole, from which we infer an intermediate spin of a = 0.58 (sup +0.11) (sub -0.17). The intrinsic spectrum is steep (gamma = 2.08 plus or minus 0.01) as commonly found in narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, while the cutoff energy (E (sub c) = 108 (sup +11) (sub -10) kiloelectronvolts) falls within the range observed in broad-line Seyfert 1 galaxies. We measure a low-frequency lag that increases steadily with energy, while at high frequencies, there is a clear lag following the shape of the broad Fe K emission line. Interestingly, the observed Fe K lag in SWIFT J2127.4+5654 is not as broad as in other sources that have maximally spinning black holes. The lag amplitude suggests a continuum-to-reprocessor distance of about 10-20 radius of gyration. These timing results independently support an intermediate black hole spin and a compact corona.

  2. Deep X-ray and UV Surveys of Galaxies with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and GALEX

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hornschemeier, Ann

    2006-01-01

    Only with the deepest Chandra surveys has X-ray emission from normal and star forming galaxies (as opposed to AGN, which dominate the X-ray sky) been accessible at cosmologically interesting distances. The X-ray emission from accreting binaries provide a critical glimpse into the binary phase of stellar evolution and studies of the hot gas reservoir constrain past star formation. UV studies provide important, sensitive diagnostics of the young star forming populations and provide the most mature means for studying galaxies at 2 < zeta < 4. This talk will review current progress on studying X-ray emission in concert with UV emission from normal/star-forming galaxies at higher redshift. We will also report on our new, deep surveys with GALEX and XMM-Newton in the nearby Coma cluster. These studies are relevant to DEEP06 as Coma is the nearest rich cluster of galaxies and provides an important benchmark for high-redshift studies in the X-ray and UV wavebands. The 30 ks GALEX (note: similar depth to the GALEX Deep Imaging Survey) and the 110 ks XMM observations provide extremely deep coverage of a Coma outskirts field, allowing the construction of the UV and X-ray luminosity function of galaxies and important constraints on star formation scaling relations such as the X-ray-Star Formation Rate correlation and the X-ray/Stellar Mass correlation. We will discuss what we learn from these deep observations of Coma, including the recently established suppression of the X-ray emission from galaxies in the Coma outskirts that is likely associated with lower levels of past star formation and/or the results of tidal gas stripping.

  3. XMM-Newton Observations of the Southeastern Radio Relic in Abell 3667

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Storm, Emma; Vink, Jacco; Zandanel, Fabio; Akamatsu, Hiroki

    2018-06-01

    Radio relics, elongated, non-thermal, structures located at the edges of galaxy clusters, are the result of synchrotron radiation from cosmic-ray electrons accelerated by merger-driven shocks at the cluster outskirts. However, X-ray observations of such shocks in some clusters suggest that they are too weak to efficiently accelerate electrons via diffusive shock acceleration to energies required to produce the observed radio power. We examine this issue in the merging galaxy cluster Abell 3667 (A3667), which hosts a pair of radio relics. While the Northwest relic in A3667 has been well studied in the radio and X-ray by multiple instruments, the Southeast relic region has only been observed so far by Suzaku, which detected a temperature jump across the relic, suggesting the presence of a weak shock. We present observations of the Southeastern region of A3667 with XMM-Newton centered on the radio relic. We confirm the existence of an X-ray shock with Mach number of about 1.8 from a clear detection of temperature jump and a tentative detection of a density jump, consistent with previous measurements by Suzaku. We discuss the implications of this measurement for diffusive shock acceleration as the main mechanism for explaining the origin of radio relics. We then speculate on the plausibility of alternative scenarios, including re-acceleration and variations in the Mach number along shock fronts.

  4. CARMENES. Mining public archives for stellar parameters and spectra of M dwarfs with master thesis students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caballero, J. A.; Montes, D.; Alonso-Floriano, F. J.; Cortés-Contreras, M.; González-Álvarez, E.; Hidalgo, D.; Holgado, G.; Martínez-Rodríguez, H.; Sanz-Forcada, J.; López-Santiago, J.

    2015-05-01

    We are compiling the most comprehensive database of M dwarfs ever built, CARMENCITA, the CARMENES Cool dwarf Information and daTa Archive, which will be the CARMENES 'input catalogue'. In addition to the science preparation with low- and high-resolution spectrographs and lucky imagers, we compile a huge pile of public data on over 2200 M dwarfs, and analyse them, mostly using virtual-observatory tools. Here we describe four specific actions carried out by master students. They mine public archives for additional high-resolution spectroscopy (UVES, FEROS and HARPS), multi-band photometry (FUV-NUV-u-B-g-V-r-R-i-J-H-Ks-W1-W2-W3-W4), X-ray data (ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Chandra), and periods, rotational velocities and Hα pseudo-equivalent widths. As described, there are many interdependences between all these data.

  5. The HELLAS2XMM survey. IV. Optical identifications and the evolution of the accretion luminosity in the Universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fiore, F.; Brusa, M.; Cocchia, F.; Baldi, A.; Carangelo, N.; Ciliegi, P.; Comastri, A.; La Franca, F.; Maiolino, R.; Matt, G.; Molendi, S.; Mignoli, M.; Perola, G. C.; Severgnini, P.; Vignali, C.

    2003-10-01

    .5 erg s-1 up to at least z=1, while the contribution of the same sources and of those with log L2-10 keV >44.5 erg s-1 appear, with yet rather large uncertainties, to be comparable between z=2 and 4. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla and Paranal, Chile, and at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo, Roque de Los Muchachos, La Palma, TF, Spain. Based also on observations made with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission. Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/409/79

  6. UV Observations of the Galaxy Cluster Abell 1795 with the Optical Monitor on XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mittaz, J. P. D.; Kaastra, J. S.; Tamura, T.; Fabian, A. C.; Mushotzky, F.; Peterson, J. R.; Ikebe, Y.; Lumb, D. H.; Paerels, F.; Stewart, G.

    2000-01-01

    We present the results of an analysis of broad band UV observations of the central regions of Abell 1795 observed with the optical monitor on XMM-Newton. As have been found with other UV observations of the central regions of clusters of galaxies, we find evidence for star formation. However, we also find evidence for absorption in the cD galaxy on a more extended scale than has been seen with optical imaging. We also report the first UV observation of part of the filamentary structure seen in H-alpha, X-rays and very deep U band imaging. The part of the filament we see is very blue with UV colours consistent with a very early (O/B) stellar population. This is the first direct evidence of a dominant population of early type stars at the centre of Abell 1795 and implies very recent star formation. The relationship of this emission to emission at other wavebands is discussed.

  7. Using XMM-OM UV Data to Study Cluster Galaxy Evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, Neal A.; O'Steen, R.

    2010-01-01

    The XMM-Newton satellite includes an Optical Monitor (XMM-OM) for the simultaneous observation of its X-ray targets at UV and optical wavelengths. On account of XMM's excellent characteristics for the observation of the hot intracluster medium, a large number of galaxy clusters have been observed by XMM and there is consequently a large and virtually unused database of XMM-OM UV data for galaxies in the cores of these clusters. We have begun a program to capitalize on such data, and describe here our efforts on a subsample of ten nearby clusters having XMM-OM, GALEX, and SDSS data. We present our methods for photometry and calibration of the XMM-OM UV data, and briefly present some applications including galaxy color magnitude diagrams (and identification of the red sequence, blue cloud, and green valley) and SED fitting (and galaxy stellar masses and star formation histories). Support for this work is provided by NASA Award Number NNX09AC76G.

  8. INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton observations of the puzzling binary system LSI +61 303

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chernyakova, Masha; Neronov, A.; Walter, R.

    LSI +61° 303 is one of the few X-ray binaries with Be star companion from which both radio and high-energy gamma-ray emission have been observed. We present XMM-Newton and INTE- GRAL observations which reveal variability of the X-ray spectral index of the system. The X-ray spectrum is hard (photon index Γ ≃ 1.5) during the orbital phases of both high and low X-ray flux. However, the spectrum softens at the moment of transition from high to low X-ray state. The spectrum of the system in the hard X-ray band does not reveal the presence of a cut-off (or, at least a spectral break) at 10-60 keV energies, expected if the compact object is an accreting neu- tron star. The observed spectrum and spectral variability can be explained if the compact object in the system is a rotation powered pulsar. In this case the recently found X-ray spectral variability of the system on the several kiloseconds time scale can be explained by the clumpy structure of the Be star disk.

  9. The XMM-Newton Iron Line Profile of NGC 3783

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Reeves, J. N.; Nandra, K.; George, I. M.; Pounds, K. A.; Turner, T. J.; Yaqoob, T.

    2003-01-01

    We report on observations of the iron K line in the nearby Seyfert 1 galaxy, NGC 3783, obtained in a long, 2 orbit (approx. 240 ks) XMM-Newton observation. The line profile obtained exhibits two strong narrow peaks at 6.4 keV and at 7.0 keV, with measured line equivalent widths of 120 and 35 eV respectively. The 6.4 keV emission is the K(alpha) line from near neutral Fe, whilst the 7.0 keV feature probably originates from a blend of the neutral Fe K(beta) line and the Hydrogen-like line of Fe at 6.97 keV. The relatively narrow velocity width of the K(alpha) line (approx. less than 5000 km/s), its lack of response to the continuum emission on short timescales and the detection of a neutral Compton reflection component are all consistent with a distant origin in Compton-thick matter such as the putative molecular torus. A strong absorption line from highly ionized iron (at 6.67 keV) is detected in the time-averaged iron line profile, whilst the depth of the feature appears to vary with time, being strongest when the continuum flux is higher. The iron absorption line probably arises from the highest ionization component of the known warm absorber in NGC 3783, with an ionization of log xi approx 3 and column density of N(sub H) approx. 5 x 10(exp 22)/sq cm and may originate from within 0.1 pc of the nucleus. A weak red-wing to the iron K line profile is also detected below 6.4 keV. However when the effect of the highly ionized warm absorber on the underlying continuum is taken into account, the requirement for a relativistic iron line component from the inner disk is reduced.

  10. High-Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of the Galactic Supernova Remnant Puppis A with the XMM-Newton RGS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Katsuda, Satoru; Tsunemi, Hiroshi; Mori, Koji; Uchida, Hiroyuki; Petre, Robert; Yamada, Shinya; Akamatsu, Hiroki; Konami, Saori; Tamagawa, Toru

    2012-01-01

    We present high-resolution X-ray spectra of cloud-shock interaction regions in the eastern and northern rims of the Galactic supernova remnant Puppis A, using the Reflection Grating Spectrometer onboard the XMM-Newton satellite. A number of emission lines including K(alpha) triplets of He-like N, O , and Ne are clearly resolved for the first time. Intensity ratios of forbidden to resonance lines in the triplets are found to be higher than predictions by thermal emission models having plausible plasma parameters. The anomalous line ratios cannot be reproduced by effects of resonance scattering, recombination, or inner-shell ionization processes, but could be explained by charge-exchange emission that should arise at interfaces between the cold/warm clouds and the hot plasma. Our observations thus provide observational support for charge-exchange X-ray emission in supernova remnants.

  11. X-Ray Spectroscopy of AS1101 with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT: Bandpass Dependence of the Temperature Profile and Soft Excess Emission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bonamente, Massimiliano; Nevalainen, Jukka

    2011-09-01

    We present spatially resolved spectroscopy of the galaxy cluster AS1101, also known as Sèrsic 159-03, with Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT, and investigate the presence of soft X-ray excess emission above the contribution from the hot intracluster medium. In earlier papers we reported an extremely bright soft excess component that reached 100% of the thermal radiation in the R2 ROSAT band (0.2-0.4 keV), using the H I column density measurement by Dickey and Lockman. In this paper we use the newer Leiden-Argentine-Bonn survey measurements of the H I column density toward AS1101, significantly lower than the previous value, and show that the soft excess emission in AS1101 is now at the level of 10%-20% of the hot gas emission, in line with those of a large sample of clusters analyzed by Bonamente et al. in 2002. The ROSAT soft excess emission is detected regardless of calibration uncertainties between Chandra and XMM-Newton. This new analysis of AS1101 indicates that the 1/4 keV band emission is compatible with the presence of warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) filaments connected to the cluster and extending outward into the intergalactic medium; the temperatures we find in this study are typically lower than those of the WHIM probed in other X-ray studies. We also show that the soft excess emission is compatible with a non-thermal origin as the inverse Compton scattering of relativistic electrons off the cosmic microwave background, with pressure less than 1% of the thermal electrons.

  12. AUTOCLASSIFICATION OF THE VARIABLE 3XMM SOURCES USING THE RANDOM FOREST MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHM

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Farrell, Sean A.; Murphy, Tara; Lo, Kitty K., E-mail: s.farrell@physics.usyd.edu.au

    In the current era of large surveys and massive data sets, autoclassification of astrophysical sources using intelligent algorithms is becoming increasingly important. In this paper we present the catalog of variable sources in the Third XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source catalog (3XMM) autoclassified using the Random Forest machine learning algorithm. We used a sample of manually classified variable sources from the second data release of the XMM-Newton catalogs (2XMMi-DR2) to train the classifier, obtaining an accuracy of ∼92%. We also evaluated the effectiveness of identifying spurious detections using a sample of spurious sources, achieving an accuracy of ∼95%. Manual investigation of amore » random sample of classified sources confirmed these accuracy levels and showed that the Random Forest machine learning algorithm is highly effective at automatically classifying 3XMM sources. Here we present the catalog of classified 3XMM variable sources. We also present three previously unidentified unusual sources that were flagged as outlier sources by the algorithm: a new candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient, a 400 s X-ray pulsar, and an eclipsing 5 hr binary system coincident with a known Cepheid.« less

  13. Chemical Evolution in Sersic 159-03 Observed with Xmm-Newton

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    de Plaa, Jelle; Werner, N.; Bykov, A.M.

    2006-03-10

    Using a new long X-ray observation of the cluster of galaxies Sersic 159-03 with XMM-Newton, we derive radial temperature and abundance profiles using single- and multi-temperature models. The fits to the EPIC and RGS spectra prefer multi-temperature models especially in the core. The radial profiles of oxygen and iron measured with EPIC/RGS and the line profiles in RGS suggest that there is a dip in the O/Fe ratio in the centre of the cluster compared to its immediate surroundings. A possible explanation for the large scale metallicity distribution is that SNIa and SNII products are released in the ICM throughmore » ram-pressure stripping of in-falling galaxies. This causes a peaked metallicity distribution. In addition, SNIa in the central cD galaxy enrich mainly the centre of the cluster with iron. This excess of SNIa products is consistent with the low O/Fe ratio we detect in the centre of the cluster. We fit the abundances we obtain with yields from SNIa, SNII and Population-III stars to derive the clusters chemical evolution. We find that the measured abundance pattern does not require a Population-III star contribution. The relative contribution of the number of SNIa with respect to the total number of SNe which enrich the ICM is about 25-50%. Furthermore, we discuss the possible presence of a non-thermal component in the EPIC spectra. A potential source of this non-thermal emission can be inverse-Compton scattering between Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) photons and relativistic electrons, which are accelerated in bow shocks associated with ram-pressure stripping of in-falling galaxies.« less

  14. XMM Observations of X-Ray Emission from Supernovae

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Immler, Stefan; Lewin, Walter

    2003-01-01

    Of the six proposed targets, only one observation was performed. The observation resulted in a 28ks observation of SN 1998S. At the time of writing the proposal, our target list only contained previously unknown X-ray supernovae. Between submission of the proposal and the actual observation, a Chandra DDT observation resulted in the detection of SN 1998S. Since SN 1998S was observed with Chandra five times before the XMM-Newton observation was made, the data did not yield enough new information to warrant a separate SN 1998S publication. The key science results of that observation were presented in a review article (by Immler and Lewin); the results were also presented at two conferences.

  15. XMM flying beautifully

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1999-12-01

    The early orbit phase came to an end on 16 December after XMM had been manoeuvred to its final orbit. This required four firings of its thrusters, on successive passages at apogee, in order to increase XMM's velocity, thus elongating its orbit and raising the perigee from 826 km to 7,365 km. One burn was then made to fine tune the apogee to around 114,000km. The spacecraft, being tracked by ground stations in Perth, Kourou and Villafranca, is now circling the Earth in this highly elliptical orbit once every 48 hours. The XMM flight operations staff have found themselves controlling a spacecraft that responds exceptionally well. During these first orbits, the satellite has been oriented several times with razor-sharp precision. On board systems have responded without incident to several thousand instructions sent by controllers. "XMM is flying so beautifully" says Dietmar Heger, XMM Spacecraft Operations Manager. "The satellite is behaving better in space than all our pre-launch simulations and we have been able to adjust our shifts to this more relaxed situation". On his return from French Guiana, Robert Lainé, XMM Project Manager immediately visited the Darmstadt Mission Control Centre, at ESOC. "The perfect behaviour of XMM at this early stage reflects the constructive cooperation of European industrial companies and top scientists. Spacecraft operations are in the hands of professionals who will endeavour to fulfill the expectations of the astronomers and astrophysicists of the world. I am very happy that ESA could provide them with such a wonderful precision tool". During the early orbit phase, controllers have activated part of XMM's science payload. The three EPIC X-ray cameras have been switched on and vented. On 17 December the telescope doors were opened allowing the spacecraft's golden X-ray Multi Mirror modules to see the sky. The Optical Monitor telescope door was opened on 18 December. During this last weekend, XMM's Radiation Monitor which records

  16. The XMM-Newton Wide-Field Survey in the COSMOS Field. II. X-Ray Data and the logN-logS Relations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cappelluti, N.; Hasinger, G.; Brusa, M.; Comastri, A.; Zamorani, G.; Böhringer, H.; Brunner, H.; Civano, F.; Finoguenov, A.; Fiore, F.; Gilli, R.; Griffiths, R. E.; Mainieri, V.; Matute, I.; Miyaji, T.; Silverman, J.

    2007-09-01

    We present data analysis and X-ray source counts for the first season of XMM-Newton observations in the COSMOS field. The survey covers ~2 deg2 within the region of sky bounded by 09h57m30sXMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA; also based on data collected at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope operated by the National Research Council of Canada, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique de France, and the University of

  17. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XMM-Newton point-source catalogue of the SMC (Sturm+, 2013)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sturm, R.; Haberl, F.; Pietsch, W.; Ballet, J.; Hatzidimitriou, D.; Buckley, D. A. H.; Coe, M.; Ehle, M.; Filipovic, M. D.; La Palombara, N.; Tiengo, A.

    2013-07-01

    The XMM-Newton survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) yields a complete coverage of the bar and eastern wing in the 0.2-12.0keV band. This catalogue comprises 3053 unique X-ray point sources and sources with moderate extent that have been reduced from 5236 individual detections found in observations between April 2000 and April 2010. Sources have a median position uncertainty of 1.3" (1σ) and limiting fluxes down to ~1*10-14erg/s/cm2 in the 0.2-4.5keV band, corresponding to 5*1033erg/s for sources in the SMC. Sources have been classified using hardness ratios, X-ray variability, and their multi-wavelength properties. In addition to the main-field (5.58deg2) available outer fields have been included in the catalogue, yielding a total field area of 6.32deg2. X-ray sources with high extent (>40", e.g. supernova remnants and galaxy cluster) have been presented by Haberl et al. (2012, Cat. J/A+A/545/A128) (2 data files).

  18. Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of the Abell 3395/Abell 3391 Intercluster Filament

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alvarez, Gabriella E.; Randall, Scott W.; Bourdin, Hervé; Jones, Christine; Holley-Bockelmann, Kelly

    2018-05-01

    We present Chandra and XMM-Newton X-ray observations of the Abell 3391/Abell 3395 intercluster filament. It has been suggested that the galaxy clusters Abell 3395, Abell 3391, and the galaxy group ESO-161 -IG 006 located between the two clusters, are in alignment along a large-scale intercluster filament. We find that the filament is aligned close to the plane of the sky, in contrast to previous results. We find a global projected filament temperature kT = {4.45}-0.55+0.89 keV, electron density {n}e={1.08}-0.05+0.06× {10}-4 cm‑3, and {M}gas}={2.7}-0.1+0.2 × {10}13 M ⊙. The thermodynamic properties of the filament are consistent with that of the intracluster medium (ICM) of Abell 3395 and Abell 3391, suggesting that the filament emission is dominated by ICM gas that has been tidally disrupted during an early stage merger between these two clusters. We present temperature, density, entropy, and abundance profiles across the filament. We find that the galaxy group ESO-161 may be undergoing ram-pressure-stripping in the low-density environment at or near the virial radius of both clusters, due to its rapid motion through the filament.

  19. A sensitive search for unknown spectral emission lines in the diffuse X-ray background with XMM-Newton

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gewering-Peine, A.; Horns, D.; Schmitt, J.H.M.M., E-mail: alexander.gewering-peine@desy.de, E-mail: dieter.horns@desy.de, E-mail: jschmitt@hs.uni-hamburg.de

    The Standard Model of particle physics can be extended to include sterile (right-handed) neutrinos or axions to solve the dark matter problem. Depending upon the mixing angle between active and sterile neutrinos, the latter have the possibility to decay into monoenergetic active neutrinos and photons in the keV-range while axions can couple to two photons. We have used data taken with the X-ray telescope XMM-Newton for the search of line emissions. We used pointings with high exposures and expected dark matter column densities with respect to the dark matter halo of the Milky Way. The posterior predictive p-value analysis hasmore » been applied to locate parameter space regions which favour additional emission lines. In addition, upper limits of the parameter space of the models have been generated such that the preexisting limits have been significantly improved.« less

  20. Thermal and Non-thermal Nature of the Soft Excess Emission from Sersic 159-03 observed with XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bonamente, Massimiliano; Lieu, Richard; Mittaz, Jonathan P. D.; Kaastra, Jelle S.; Nevalainen, Jukka

    2005-01-01

    Several nearby clusters exhibit an excess of soft X-ray radiation which cannot be attributed to the hot virialized intra-cluster medium. There is no consensus to date on the origin of the excess emission: it could be either of thermal origin, or due to an inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background. Using high resolution XMM-Newton data of Sersic 159-03 we first show that strong soft excess emission is detected out to a radial distance of 0.9 Mpc. The data are interpreted using the two viable models available, i.e., by invoking a warm reservoir of thermal gas, or relativistic electrons which are part of a cosmic ray population. The thermal model leads to a better goodness-of-fit, and the emitting warm gas must be high in mass and low in metallicity.

  1. Spectral and Temporal Analysis of 1H1934-0617: Observing an “Eclipsed” AGN with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frederick, Sara; Kara, Erin; Reynolds, Christopher S.

    2017-01-01

    1H1934-0617 is a low-mass (3×106 M⊙) NLS1 which was ranked as 7th in excess variance among AGN comprising the CAIXA catalogue (Ponti 2012). Similar to its high-ranking and oft-studied counterparts, this AGN is extremely time-variable, luminous, and displays strong reflection features. We present spectral and temporal analyses of concurrent XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations (120 ks), during which we explore a dramatic dip in flux, similar to that of Fairall 9 (Lohfink 2012, 2016). The transit-like dip appears in the NuSTAR band, and the spectral shape of the 0.3-2 keV band remains constant throughout the flux varied observation, ruling out a strong absorber. XMM-Newton’s large effective area and NuSTAR’s constraints on the 10-79 keV band combine to inform us about the source geometry, black hole spin, and emission/absorption processes as we speculate on the nature of the variability of this scarcely-studied AGN. Preliminary spectral modeling indicates that the dip in flux can be understood as a decrease in the height of the corona, and preliminary timing analysis shows hints of an iron K reverberation lag.

  2. XMM-Newton Observations of Solar Wind Charge Exchange Emission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snowden, S. L.; Collier, M. R.; Kuntz, K. D.

    2004-01-01

    We present an XMM-Newton spectrum of diffuse X-ray emission from within the solar system. The spectrum is dominated by O VII and O VIII lines at 0.57 keV and 0.65 keV, O VIII (and possibly Fe XVII) lines at approximately 0.8 keV, Ne IX lines at approximately 0.92 keV, and Mg XI lines at approximately 1.35 keV. This spectrum is consistent with what is expected from charge exchange emission between the highly ionized solar wind and either interstellar neutrals in the heliosphere or material from Earth's exosphere. The emission is clearly seen as a low-energy ( E less than 1.5 keV) spectral enhancement in one of a series of observations of the Hubble Deep Field North. The X-ray enhancement is concurrent with an enhancement in the solar wind measured by the ACE satellite. The solar wind enhancement reaches a flux level an order of magnitude more intense than typical fluxes at 1 AU, and has ion ratios with significantly enhanced higher ionization states. Whereas observations of the solar wind plasma made at a single point reflect only local conditions which may only be representative of solar wind properties with spatial scales ranging from less than half of an Earth radii (approximately 10 s) to 100 Earth radii, X-ray observations of solar wind charge exchange are remote sensing measurements which may provide observations which are significantly more global in character. Besides being of interest in its own right for studies of the solar system, this emission can have significant consequences for observations of more cosmological objects. It can provide emission lines at zero redshift which are of particular interest (e.g., O VII and O VIII) in studies of diffuse thermal emission, and which can therefore act as contamination in objects which cover the entire detector field of view. We propose the use of solar wind monitoring data, such as from the ACE and Wind spacecraft, as a diagnostic to screen for such possibilities.

  3. The frequency of stellar X-ray flares from a large-scale XMM-Newton sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pye, John P.; Rosen, Simon

    2015-08-01

    We present a uniform, large-scale survey of X-ray flare emission, with emphasis on the corrections needed to arrive at estimates of flare occurrence rates. The XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue has been used as the basis for a survey of X-ray flares from late-type (i.e. spectral type F-M) stars in the Hipparcos Tycho catalogue. The XMM catalogue and its associated data products provide an excellent basis for a comprehensive and sensitive survey of stellar flares - both from targeted active stars and from those observed serendipitously in the half-degree diameter field-of-view of each observation. Our sample contains ~130 flares with well-observed profiles; they range in duration from ~103 to ~104s, have peak X-ray fluxes from ~10-13 to ~10-11 erg cm-2 s-1, peak X-ray luminosities from ~1029 to ~1032 erg s-1 and X-ray energy output from ~1032 to ~1035 erg. Most of the serendipitously-observed stars have little previously reported information. We present flare frequency distributions from both target and serendipitous observations. The latter provide an unbiased (with respect to stellar activity) study of flare energetics. The serendipitous sample demonstrates the need for care when calculating flaring rates, especially when normalising the number of flares to a total exposure time, where it is important to consider both the stars seen to flare and those measured as non-variable, since in our survey, the latter outnumber the former by more than a factor ten. The serendipitous variable and non-variable stars appear very similar in terms of the distributions of general properties such as quiescent X-ray luminosity; from the available data, it is unclear whether the distinction by flaring is due to an additional, intrinsic property such as intra-system interactions in a close binary system, or is simply the result of limited observations of a random flaring process, with no real difference between the two samples. We discuss future observations and analyses

  4. A Survey of X-Ray Variability in Seyfert 1 Galaxies with XMM-Newton to study the soft excess and the broad Fe lines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ponti, Gabriele

    The nature of the soft excess and the presence of the broad Fe lines is still nowadays highly debated because the different absorption/emission models are degenerate. Spectral variability studies have the potential to break this degeneracy. I will present the results of a spectral variability RMS survey of the 36 brightest type 1 Seyfert galaxies observed by XMM-Newton for more than 30 ks. More than 80 as already measured, on longer timescales, with RXTE (Markowitz et al. 2004). About half of the sample show lower variability in the soft energy band, indicating that the emission from the soft excess is more stable than the one of the continuum. While the other sources show a soft excess that is as variable as the continuum. About half of the sample do not show an excess of variability where the warm absorber component imprints its stronger features, suggesting that for these sources the soft excess is not produced by a relativistic absorbing wind. In a few bright and well exposed sources it has been possible to measure an excess of variability at the energy of the broad component of the Fe K line, in agreement with the broad emission line interpretation. For the sources where more than one observation was available the stability of the shape of the RMS spectrum has been investigated. Moreover, it will be presented the results of the computation of the excess variance of all the radio quiet type 1 AGN of the XMM-Newton database. The relations between variability, black hole mass, accretion rate and luminosity are investigated and their scatter measured.

  5. Preparation of the CARMENES Input Catalogue: Mining Public Archives for Stellar Parameters and Spectra of M Dwarfs with Master Thesis Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Montes, D.; Caballero, J. A.; Alonso-Floriano, F. J.; Cortes Contreras, M.; Gonzalez-Alvarez, E.; Hidalgo, D.; Holgado, G.; Llamas, M.; Martinez-Rodriguez, H.; Sanz-Forcada, J.

    2015-01-01

    We help compiling the most comprehensive database of M dwarfs ever built, CARMENCITA, the CARMENES Cool dwarf Information and daTa Archive, which will be the CARMENES `input catalogue'. In addition to the science preparation with low- and high-resolution spectrographs and lucky imagers (see the other contributions in this volume), we compile a huge pile of public data on over 2100 M dwarfs, and analyze them, mostly using virtual-observatory tools. Here we describe four specific actions carried out by master and grade students. They mine public archives for additional high-resolution spectroscopy (UVES, FEROS and HARPS), multi-band photometry (FUV-NUV-u-B-g-V-r-R-i-J-H-Ks-W1-W2-W3-W4), X-ray data (ROSAT, XMM-Newton and Chandra), periods, rotational velocities and Hα pseudo-equivalent widths. As described, there are many interdependences between all these data.

  6. GRS 1739-278 Observed at Very Low Luminosity with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fürst, F.; Tomsick, J. A.; Yamaoka, K.; Dauser, T.; Miller, J. M.; Clavel, M.; Corbel, S.; Fabian, A.; García, J.; Harrison, F. A.; Loh, A.; Kaaret, P.; Kalemci, E.; Migliari, S.; Miller-Jones, J. C. A.; Pottschmidt, K.; Rahoui, F.; Rodriguez, J.; Stern, D.; Stuhlinger, M.; Walton, D. J.; Wilms, J.

    2016-12-01

    We present a detailed spectral analysis of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations of the accreting transient black hole GRS 1739-278 during a very faint low hard state at ˜0.02% of the Eddington luminosity (for a distance of 8.5 kpc and a mass of 10 {M}⊙ ). The broadband X-ray spectrum between 0.5 and 60 keV can be well-described by a power-law continuum with an exponential cutoff. The continuum is unusually hard for such a low luminosity, with a photon index of Γ = 1.39 ± 0.04. We find evidence for an additional reflection component from an optically thick accretion disk at the 98% likelihood level. The reflection fraction is low, with {{ R }}{refl}={0.043}-0.023+0.033. In combination with measurements of the spin and inclination parameters made with NuSTAR during a brighter hard state by Miller et al., we seek to constrain the accretion disk geometry. Depending on the assumed emissivity profile of the accretion disk, we find a truncation radius of 15-35 {R}{{g}} (5-12 {R}{ISCO}) at the 90% confidence limit. These values depend strongly on the assumptions and we discuss possible systematic uncertainties.

  7. X-ray emission from the Wolf-Rayet bubble NGC 6888 - II. XMM-Newton EPIC observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toalá, J. A.; Guerrero, M. A.; Chu, Y.-H.; Arthur, S. J.; Tafoya, D.; Gruendl, R. A.

    2016-03-01

    We present deep XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Camera observations of the Wolf-Rayet (WR) bubble NGC 6888 around the star WR 136. The complete X-ray mapping of the nebula confirms the distribution of the hot gas in three maxima spatially associated with the caps and north-west blowout hinted at by previous Chandra observations. The global X-ray emission is well described by a two-temperature optically thin plasma model (T1 = 1.4 × 106 K, T2 = 8.2 × 106 K) with a luminosity of LX = 7.8 × 1033 erg s-1 in the 0.3-1.5 keV energy range. The rms electron density of the X-ray-emitting gas is estimated to be ne = 0.4 cm-3. The high-quality observations presented here reveal spectral variations within different regions in NGC 6888, which allowed us for the first time to detect temperature and/or nitrogen abundance inhomogeneities in the hot gas inside a WR nebula. One possible explanation for such spectral variations is that the mixing of material from the outer nebula into the hot bubble is less efficient around the caps than in other nebular regions.

  8. High Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of zeta Puppis with the XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kahn, S. M.; Leutenegger, M. A.; Cottam, J.; Rauw, G.; Vreux, J.-M.; denBoggende, A. J. F.; Mewe, R.; Guedel, M.

    2000-01-01

    We present the first high resolution X-ray spectrum of the bright O4Ief supergiant star Puppis, obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on- board XMM-Newton. The spectrum exhibits bright emission lines of hydrogen-like and helium-like ions of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and silicon, as well as neon-like ions of iron. The lines are all significantly resolved, with characteristic velocity widths of order 1000 - 1500 km/ s. The nitrogen lines are especially strong, and indicate that the shocked gas in the wind is mixed with CNO-burned material, as has been previously inferred for the atmosphere of this star from ultraviolet spectra. We find that the forbidden to intercombination line ratios within the helium-like triplets are anomalously low for N VI, O VII, and Ne IX. While this is sometimes indicative of high electron density, we show that in this case, it is instead caused by the intense ultraviolet radiation field of the star. We use this interpretation to derive constraints on the location of the X-ray emitting shocks within the wind that agree remarkably well with current theoretical models for this system.

  9. Radial distribution of metals in the hot intra-cluster medium as observed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mernier, F.; de Plaa, J.; Kaastra, J.; Zhang, Y.; Akamatsu, H.; Gu, L.; Mao, J.; Pinto, C.; Reiprich, T.; Sanders, J.

    2017-10-01

    The hot intra-cluster medium (ICM), which accounts for ˜80% of the baryonic content in galaxy clusters, is rich in heavy elements. Since these metals have been produced by stars and supernovae before enriching the ICM, measuring metal abundance distributions in galaxy clusters and groups provides essential clues to determine the main astrophysical source(s) and epoch(s) of the ICM enrichment. In this work, we present radial abundance profiles averaged over 44 nearby cool-core galaxy clusters, groups, and massive ellipticals (the CHEERS sample) measured with XMM-Newton EPIC. While most of the Fe of the Universe is thought to be synthesised by Type Ia supernovae (SNIa), lighter elements, such as O, Mg, Si or S, are mostly produced by core-collapse supernovae (SNcc). The derived average radial profiles of the O, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni abundances out to ˜ 0.5 r_{500} allows us to accurately compare the distributions of SNIa and SNcc products in clusters and groups. By comparing our results with recent chemo-dynamical simulations, we discuss the interpretation of the profiles in the context of early and late ICM enrichments.

  10. An XMM-Newton Study of the Mixed-morphology Supernova Remnant G346.6-0.2

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Auchettl, Katie; Lopez, Laura; Ng, C-Y.

    We present an X-ray imaging and spectroscopic study of the molecular cloud interacting mixed-morphology supernova remnant G346.6–0.2 using XMM-Newton . The X-ray spectrum of the remnant is well described by a recombining plasma that most likely arises from adiabatic cooling and has subsolar abundances of Mg, Si, and S. Our fits also suggest the presence of either an additional power-law component with a photon index of ∼2 or an additional thermal component with a temperature of ∼2.0 keV. We investigate the possible origin of this component and suggest that it could arise from either the Galactic ridge X-ray emission, anmore » unidentified pulsar wind nebula, or X-ray synchrotron emission from high-energy particles accelerated at the shock. However, deeper, high-resolution observations of this object are needed to shed light on the presence and origin of this feature. Based on its morphology, its Galactic latitude, the density of the surrounding environment, and its association with a dense molecular cloud, G346.6–0.2 most likely arises from a massive progenitor that underwent core collapse.« less

  11. XMM-Newton X-ray and HST weak gravitational lensing study of the extremely X-ray luminous galaxy cluster Cl J120958.9+495352 (z = 0.902)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thölken, Sophia; Schrabback, Tim; Reiprich, Thomas H.; Lovisari, Lorenzo; Allen, Steven W.; Hoekstra, Henk; Applegate, Douglas; Buddendiek, Axel; Hicks, Amalia

    2018-03-01

    Context. Observations of relaxed, massive, and distant clusters can provide important tests of standard cosmological models, for example by using the gas mass fraction. To perform this test, the dynamical state of the cluster and its gas properties have to be investigated. X-ray analyses provide one of the best opportunities to access this information and to determine important properties such as temperature profiles, gas mass, and the total X-ray hydrostatic mass. For the last of these, weak gravitational lensing analyses are complementary independent probes that are essential in order to test whether X-ray masses could be biased. Aims: We study the very luminous, high redshift (z = 0.902) galaxy cluster Cl J120958.9+495352 using XMM-Newton data. We measure global cluster properties and study the temperature profile and the cooling time to investigate the dynamical status with respect to the presence of a cool core. We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) weak lensing data to estimate its total mass and determine the gas mass fraction. Methods: We perform a spectral analysis using an XMM-Newton observation of 15 ks cleaned exposure time. As the treatment of the background is crucial, we use two different approaches to account for the background emission to verify our results. We account for point spread function effects and deproject our results to estimate the gas mass fraction of the cluster. We measure weak lensing galaxy shapes from mosaic HST imaging and select background galaxies photometrically in combination with imaging data from the William Herschel Telescope. Results: The X-ray luminosity of Cl J120958.9+495352 in the 0.1-2.4 keV band estimated from our XMM-Newton data is LX = (13.4+1.2-1.0) × 1044 erg/s and thus it is one of the most X-ray luminous clusters known at similarly high redshift. We find clear indications for the presence of a cool core from the temperature profile and the central cooling time, which is very rare at such high redshifts. Based

  12. ESA's X-ray space observatory XMM takes first pictures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2000-02-01

    functioning of the observatory. The Optical Monitor also simultaneously viewed the same regions. One RGS spectrometer obtained its first spectra on 25 January; the other will be commissioned at the start of February. This initial series of short and long duration exposures have delighted the Project management team and the scientists even more. First analyses confirm that the spacecraft is extremely stable, the XMM telescopes are focusing perfectly, and the EPIC cameras, Optical Monitor and RGS spectrometers are working exactly as expected. The Science Operations Centre infrastructure, processing and archiving the science data telemetry from the spacecraft, is also performing well. Initial inspection of the first commissioning images immediately showed some unique X-ray views of several celestial objects, to be presented on 9 February. The occasion will give Principal Investigators and Project management the opportunity to comment on the pictures and the excellent start of the XMM mission. The Calibration and Performance Verification phase for XMM's science instruments is to begin on 3 March, with routine science operations starting in June. Press is invited to attend to the press conference that will be held at the Villafranca/ Madrid- Vilspa facility (ESA's Satellite Tracking Station) Apartado 50727, E-2 080 MADRID, Spain. The press event will be broadcast to the other ESA establishments: ESA Headquarters, Paris; ESA/ ESTEC (Space Expo), Noordwijk, the Netherlands; ESA/ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany and ESA/ESRIN, Frascati, Italy. Media representatives wishing to attend the event are kindly requested to fill out the attached reply from and fax it back to the establishment of their choice.

  13. Distant clusters of galaxies in the 2XMM/SDSS footprint: follow-up observations with the LBT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rabitz, A.; Lamer, G.; Schwope, A.; Takey, A.

    2017-11-01

    Context. Galaxy clusters at high redshift are important to test cosmological models and models for the growth of structure. They are difficult to find in wide-angle optical surveys, however, leaving dedicated follow-up of X-ray selected candidates as one promising identification route. Aims: We aim to increase the number of galaxy clusters beyond the SDSS-limit, z 0.75. Methods: We compiled a list of extended X-ray sources from the 2XMMp catalogue within the footprint of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Fields without optical counterpart were selected for further investigation. Deep optical imaging and follow-up spectroscopy were obtained with the Large Binocular Telescope, Arizona (LBT), of those candidates not known to the literature. Results: From initially 19 candidates, selected by visually screening X-ray images of 478 XMM-Newton observations and the corresponding SDSS images, 6 clusters were found in the literature. Imaging data through r,z filters were obtained for the remaining candidates, and 7 were chosen for multi-object (MOS) spectroscopy. Spectroscopic redshifts, optical magnitudes, and X-ray parameters (flux, temperature, and luminosity) are presented for the clusters with spectroscopic redshifts. The distant clusters studied here constitute one additional redshift bin for studies of the LX-T relation, which does not seem to evolve from high to low redshifts. Conclusions: The selection method of distant galaxy clusters presented here was highly successful. It is based solely on archival optical (SDSS) and X-ray (XMM-Newton) data. Out of 19 selected candidates, 6 of the 7 candidates selected for spectroscopic follow-up were verified as distant clusters, a further candidate is most likely a group of galaxies at z 1.21. Out of the remaining 12 candidates, 6 were known previously as galaxy clusters, one object is a likely X-ray emission from an AGN radio jet, and for 5 we see no clear evidence for them to be high-redshift galaxy clusters. Based on

  14. A medium-deep Chandra and Subaru survey of the 13-h XMM/ROSAT deep survey area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McHardy, I. M.; Gunn, K. F.; Newsam, A. M.; Mason, K. O.; Page, M. J.; Takata, T.; Sekiguchi, K.; Sasseen, T.; Cordova, F.; Jones, L. R.; Loaring, N.

    2003-07-01

    We present the results of a Chandra ACIS-I survey of a high-latitude region at 13 h +38° which was earlier observed with ROSAT and which has recently been observed by XMM-Newton for 200 ks. XMM-Newton will provide good-quality X-ray spectra for over 200 sources with fluxes around the knee of the log N/ log S, which are responsible for the bulk of the X-ray background. The main aim of the Chandra observations is to provide arcsecond, or better, positions, and hence reliable identifications, for the XMM-Newton sources. The ACIS-I observations were arranged in a mosaic of four 30-ks pointings, covering almost all of the 15-arcmin radius XMM-Newton/ROSAT field. We detect 214 Chandra sources above a Cash likelihood statistic of 25, which approximates to 5σ significance, to a limiting flux of ~1.3 × 10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 (0.5-7 keV). Optical counterparts are derived from a Subaru SuprimeCam image reaching to R~ 27. The very large majority of the Chandra sources have an optical counterpart, with the distribution peaking at 23 < R < 24, although 14 have no counterpart to R= 27. The fraction of X-ray sources with no identification brighter than R= 27 is similar to that found in deeper Chandra surveys. The majority of the identifications are with galaxies. As found in other Chandra surveys, there is a very wide range of optical magnitudes for a given X-ray flux, implying a range of emission mechanisms, and many sources have high LX/Lopt ratios, implying absorption at moderate redshift. Comparison with the earlier ROSAT survey shows that the accuracy of the ROSAT positions agrees very well with the predictions from simulations by McHardy et al. and that the large majority of the identifications were correct.

  15. The Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS). V. Optically Faint Variable Object Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morokuma, Tomoki; Doi, Mamoru; Yasuda, Naoki; Akiyama, Masayuki; Sekiguchi, Kazuhiro; Furusawa, Hisanori; Ueda, Yoshihiro; Totani, Tomonori; Oda, Takeshi; Nagao, Tohru; Kashikawa, Nobunari; Murayama, Takashi; Ouchi, Masami; Watson, Mike G.; Richmond, Michael W.; Lidman, Christopher; Perlmutter, Saul; Spadafora, Anthony L.; Aldering, Greg; Wang, Lifan; Hook, Isobel M.; Knop, Rob A.

    2008-03-01

    We present our survey for optically faint variable objects using multiepoch (8-10 epochs over 2-4 years) i'-band imaging data obtained with Subaru Suprime-Cam over 0.918 deg2 in the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Field (SXDF). We found 1040 optically variable objects by image subtraction for all the combinations of images at different epochs. This is the first statistical sample of variable objects at depths achieved with 8-10 m class telescopes or the Hubble Space Telescope. The detection limit for variable components is i'vari ~ 25.5 mag. These variable objects were classified into variable stars, supernovae (SNe), and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), based on the optical morphologies, magnitudes, colors, and optical-mid-infrared colors of the host objects, spatial offsets of variable components from the host objects, and light curves. Detection completeness was examined by simulating light curves for periodic and irregular variability. We detected optical variability for 36% +/- 2% (51% +/- 3% for a bright sample with i' < 24.4 mag) of X-ray sources in the field. Number densities of variable objects as functions of time intervals Δ t and variable component magnitudes i'vari are obtained. Number densities of variable stars, SNe, and AGNs are 120, 489, and 579 objects deg-2, respectively. Bimodal distributions of variable stars in the color-magnitude diagrams indicate that the variable star sample consists of bright (V ~ 22 mag) blue variable stars of the halo population and faint (V ~ 23.5 mag) red variable stars of the disk population. There are a few candidates of RR Lyrae providing a possible number density of ~10-2 kpc-3 at a distance of >150 kpc from the Galactic center. Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Based on observations (program GN-2002B-Q-30) obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a

  16. A long XMM-Newton campaign on the mode-switching radio pulsar PSR B0943+10

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mereghetti, S.

    2017-10-01

    Observations obtained in the last years challenged the widespread notion that rotation-powered neutron stars are steady X-ray emitters. Besides the few pulsars showing "magnetar-like" activity, in at least one remarkable object, PSR B0943+10, significant variations, correlated to radio-mode switching have been discovered. Their study opens a new window to investigate the processes responsible for the pulsar radio and high-energy emission. An XMM-Newton Large Program, with simultaneous radio observations with LOFAR, LWA and Arecibo, allowed us to detect X-ray pulsations also during the fainter state and to better constrain the spectral and variability properties of PSR B0943+10. In both radio states the pulsed emission can be described by a thermal blackbody with temperature of a few 10^6 K and the unpulsed emission by a power-law. We discuss a scenario in which both unpulsed non-thermal emission, likely of magnetospheric origin, and pulsed thermal emission from a small polar cap (˜1500 m^2) with a strong non-dipolar field (˜10^{14} G), are present during both modes and vary in intensity in a correlated way. This is broadly consistent with the predictions of the partially screened gap model and does not necessarily imply global magnetospheric rearrangements to explain the mode switching.

  17. XMM-Newton observations of the Lockman Hole IV: spectra of the brightest AGN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mateos, S.; Barcons, X.; Carrera, F. J.; Ceballos, M. T.; Hasinger, G.; Lehmann, I.; Fabian, A. C.; Streblyanska, A.

    2005-12-01

    This paper presents the results of a detailed X-ray spectral analysis of a sample of 123 X-ray sources detected with XMM-Newton in the Lockman Hole field. This is the deepest observation carried out with XMM-Newton with more that 600 ks of good EPIC-pn data. We have spectra with good signal to noise (>500 source counts) for all objects down to 0.2-12 keV fluxes of 5×10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 (flux limit of 6×10-16 erg cm-2 s-1 in the 0.5-2 and 2-10 keV bands). At the time of the analysis, we had optical spectroscopic identifications for 60% of the sources, 46 being optical type-1 AGN and 28 optical type-2 AGN. Using a single power law model our sources' average spectral slope hardens at faint 0.5-2 keV fluxes but not at faint 2-10 keV fluxes. We have been able to explain this effect in terms of an increase in X-ray absorption at faint fluxes. We did not find in our data any evidence for the existence of a population of faint intrinsically harder sources. The average spectral slope of our sources is 1.9, with an intrinsic dispersion of 0.28. We detected X-ray absorption (F-test significance ≥95%) in 37% of the sources, 10% in type-1 AGN (rest-frame {NH ˜ 1.6 × 1021{-}1.2 × 1022 cm-2}) and 77% (rest-frame {NH ˜ 1.5 ×1021{-}4× 1023 cm-2}) in type-2 AGN. Using X-ray fluxes corrected for absorption, the fraction of absorbed objects and the absorbing column density distribution did not vary with X-ray flux. Our type-1 and type-2 AGN do not appear to have different continuum shapes, but the distribution of intrinsic (rest-frame) absorbing column densities is different among both classes. A significant fraction of our type-2 AGN (5 out of 28) were found to display no substantial absorption ({NH<1021 cm-2}). We discuss possible interpretations to this in terms of Compton-thick AGN and intrinsic Broad Line Region properties. An emission line compatible with Fe Kα was detected in 8 sources (1 type-1 AGN, 5 type-2 AGN and 2 unidentified) with rest frame equivalent widths

  18. A deep X-ray view of the bare AGN Ark 120. IV. XMM-Newton and NuSTAR spectra dominated by two temperature (warm, hot) Comptonization processes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porquet, D.; Reeves, J. N.; Matt, G.; Marinucci, A.; Nardini, E.; Braito, V.; Lobban, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Boggs, S. E.; Christensen, F. E.; Dauser, T.; Farrah, D.; Garcia, J.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F.; Stern, D.; Tortosa, A.; Ursini, F.; Zhang, W. W.

    2018-01-01

    Context. The physical characteristics of the material closest to supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are primarily studied through X-ray observations. However, the origins of the main X-ray components such as the soft X-ray excess, the Fe Kα line complex, and the hard X-ray excess are still hotly debated. This is particularly problematic for active galactic nuclei (AGN) showing a significant intrinsic absorption, either warm or neutral, which can severely distort the observed continuum. Therefore, AGN with no (or very weak) intrinsic absorption along the line of sight, so-called "bare AGN", are the best targets to directly probe matter very close to the SMBH. Aims: We perform an X-ray spectral analysis of the brightest and cleanest bare AGN known so far, Ark 120, in order to determine the process(es) at work in the vicinity of the SMBH. Methods: We present spectral analyses of data from an extensive campaign observing Ark 120 in X-rays with XMM-Newton (4 × 120 ks, 2014 March 18-24), and NuSTAR (65.5 ks, 2014 March 22). Results: During this very deep X-ray campaign, the source was caught in a high-flux state similar to the earlier 2003 XMM-Newton observation, and about twice as bright as the lower-flux observation in 2013. The spectral analysis confirms the "softer when brighter" behavior of Ark 120. The four XMM-Newton/pn spectra are characterized by the presence of a prominent soft X-ray excess and a significant Fe Kα complex. The continuum is very similar above about 3 keV, while significant variability is present for the soft X-ray excess. We find that relativistic reflection from a constant-density, flat accretion disk cannot simultaneously produce the soft excess, broad Fe Kα complex, and hard X-ray excess. Instead, Comptonization reproduces the broadband (0.3-79 keV) continuum well, together with a contribution from a mildly relativistic disk reflection spectrum. Conclusions: During this 2014 observational campaign, the soft X-ray spectrum of Ark 120 below 0

  19. Implications from XMM and Chandra Source Catalogs for Future Studies with Lynx

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ptak, Andrew

    2018-01-01

    Lynx will perform extremely sensitive X-ray surveys by combining very high-resolution imaging over a large field of view with a high effective area. These will include deep planned surveys and serendipitous source surveys. Here we discuss implications that can be gleaned from current Chandra and XMM-Newton serendipitous source surveys. These current surveys have discovered novel sources such as tidal disruption events, binary AGN, and ULX pulsars. In addition these surveys have detected large samples of normal galaxies, low-luminosity AGN and quasars due to the wide-area coverage of the Chandra and XMM-Newton source catalogs, allowing the evolution of these phenonema to be explored. The wide area Lynx surveys will probe down further in flux and will be coupled with very sensitive wide-area surveys such as LSST and SKA, allowing for detailed modeling of their SEDs and the discovery of rare, exotic sources and transient events.

  20. INTEGRAL, XMM-Newton and ESO/NTT identification of AX J1749.1-2733: an obscured and probably distant Be/X-ray binary

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zurita Heras, J. A.; Chaty, S.

    2008-10-01

    Context: AX J1749.1-2733 is an unclassified transient X-ray source discovered during surveys by ASCA in 1993-1999. The transient behaviour and the short and bright flares of the source have led to the idea that it is part of the recently revealed subclass of supergiant fast X-ray transients. Aims: A multi-wavelength study in NIR, optical, X-rays, and hard X-rays of AX J1749.1-2733 is undertaken in order to determine its nature. Methods: Public INTEGRAL data and our target of opportunity observation with XMM-Newton were used to study the high-energy source through timing and spectral analysis. Multi-wavelength observations in optical and NIR with the ESO/NTT telescope were also performed to search for the counterpart. Results: AX J1749.1-2733 is a new high-mass X-ray binary pulsar with an orbital period of 185.5±1.1 days (or 185.5/f with f=2,3 or 4) and a spin period of 66 s, parameters typical of a Be/X-ray binary. The outbursts last 12 d. A spin-down of dot{P}=0.08 ± 0.02 s yr -1 is also observed, very likely due to the propeller effect. The most accurate X-ray position is RA (2000) =17h49m06.8s and Dec =-27°32 arcmin32.5 arcsec (uncertainty 2 arcsec). The high-energy broad-band spectrum is well-fitted with an absorbed powerlaw and a high-energy cutoff with values NH=20.1-1.3+1.5×1022 cm-2, Γ=1.0-0.3+0.1, and Ecut=21-3+5 keV. The only optical/NIR candidate counterpart within the X-ray error circle has magnitudes of R=21.9±0.1, I=20.92±0.09, J=17.42±0.03, H=16.71±0.02, and Ks=15.75±0.07, which points towards a Be star located far away (>8.5 kpc) and highly absorbed (NH˜ 1.7×1022 cm-2). The average 22-50 keV luminosity is 0.4-0.9×1036 erg s-1 during the long outbursts and 3×1036 erg s-1 during the bright flare that occurred on MJD 52891 for an assumed distance of 8.5 kpc. Based on observations made with 1) INTEGRAL, an ESA project with instruments and science data centre funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany

  1. A combined HST and XMM-Newton campaign for the magnetic O9.7 V star HD 54879. Constraining the weak-wind problem of massive stars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shenar, T.; Oskinova, L. M.; Järvinen, S. P.; Luckas, P.; Hainich, R.; Todt, H.; Hubrig, S.; Sander, A. A. C.; Ilyin, I.; Hamann, W.-R.

    2017-10-01

    stars. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA.

  2. Buoyancy, Uplift, and AGN Feedback - Deep Chandra and XMM-Newton Observations of the Radio Outbursts in NGC 4472 and NGC 1399

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraft, R.; Su, Y.; Gendron Marsolais, M.; Roediger, E.; Nulsen, P.; Hlavacek-Larrondo, J.; Forman, W.; Jones, C.; Randall, S.; Machacek, M.

    2017-10-01

    We present results from deep Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the AGN outbursts in the nearby early-type galaxies NGC 4472 and NGC 1399. Both pairs of radio bubbles are surrounded by rims of enhanced X-ray emission. Spectral analysis shows that the temperatures of these rims are less than that of the surrounding medium, suggesting that they are gas uplifted from the group center by the buoyant rise of the radio bubbles and not shocks due to the supersonic inflation of the lobes. The energy required to uplift these shells can be a significant fraction of the total outburst energy, and thus may play an important role in the thermodynamic evolution of the galaxy core. Buoyant uplift could also be a very efficient means of transporting metals from the galaxy core to the halo.

  3. NUSTAR AND XMM-Newton Observations of the Neutron Star X-Ray Binary 1RXS J180408.9-34205

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ludlam, Renee; Miller, Jon M.; Cackett, Edward; Fabian, Andrew C.; Bachetti, Matteo; Parker, Michael; Tomsick, John; Barret, Didier; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Rana, Vikram; Harrison, Fiona

    2016-04-01

    We report on observations of the neutron star (NS) residing in the low-mass X-ray binary 1RXS J180408.9-34205 taken 2015 March by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton while the source was in the hard spectral state. We findmultiple reflection features (Fe Kα detected with NuSTAR N VII, O VII, and O VIII detected in the RGS) fromdifferent ionization zones. Through joint fits using the self consistent relativistic reflection model RELXILL,we determine the inner radius to be 6.6(+13.2,-0.6) Rg. We find the inclination of the system to be between 18-29 degrees.If the disk is truncated at a radius greater than the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO), then the position at which the inner disk terminates likely corresponds to the magnetospheric radius. For a spin parameter of a = 0, we estimate a conservative upper limit on the strength of the magnetic field to be B ≤ (0.9 - 3.0) × 109 G at the magnetic poles depending on the choice of conversion factor between spherical and disk accretion.

  4. X-ray spectroscopy of the mixed morphology supernova remnant W 28 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakamura, Ryoko; Bamba, Aya; Ishida, Manabu; Yamazaki, Ryo; Tatematsu, Ken'ichi; Kohri, Kazunori; Pühlhofer, Gerd; Wagner, Stefan J.; Sawada, Makoto

    2014-06-01

    We report on spatially resolved X-ray spectroscopy of the north-eastern part of the mixed morphology supernova remnant (SNR) W 28 with XMM-Newton. The observed field of view includes a prominent and twisted shell emission forming the edge of this SNR as well as part of the center-filled X-ray emission brightening toward the south-west edge of the field of view. The shell region spectra are in general represented by an optically thin thermal plasma emission in collisional ionization equilibrium with a temperature of ˜ 0.3 keV and a density of ˜ 10 cm-3, which is much higher than the density obtained for inner parts. In contrast, we detected no significant X-ray flux from one of the TeV γ-ray peaks with an upper-limit flux of 2.1 × 10-14 erg cm-2 s-1 in the 2-10 keV band. The large flux ratio of TeV to X-ray, larger than 16, and the spatial coincidence of the molecular cloud and the TeV γ-ray emission site indicate that the TeV γ-ray of W 28 is π0-decay emission originating from collisions between accelerated protons and molecular cloud protons. Comparing the spectrum in the TeV band and the X-ray upper limit, we obtained a weak upper limit on the magnetic field strength B ≲ 1500 μG.

  5. The XMM-Newton View of Stellar Coronae: High-Resolution X-Ray Spectroscopy of Capella

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Audard, M.; Behar, E.; Guedel, M.; Raassen, A. J. J.; Porquet, D.; Mewe, R.; Foley, C. A.; Bromage, G. E.

    2000-01-01

    We present the high-resolution RGS spectrum of the bright stellar binary Capella observed by the XMM-Newton satellite. A multi-thermal approach has been applied to fit the data and derive elemental abundances. The differential emission measure distribution is reconstructed using a Chebychev polynomial fit. The DEM shape is found to display a sharp peak around 7 MK, consistent with previous EUVE and ASCA results. A small but significant amount of emission measure is required around 1.8 MK in order to explain the O VII He-like triplet and the C VI Ly(alpha) line. Using the sensitivity to temperature of dielectronic recombination lines from O VI around 22 A, we confirm that the cool plasma temperature needs to be higher than 1.2 MK. In the approximation of a cool plasma described by one temperature, we used line ratios from the forbidden, intercombination, and resonance lines of the O VII triplet and derived an average density for the cool coronal plasma at the low density limit. A tentative study of line ratios from the M XI triplet gives an average temperature close to the sharp peak in emission measure and an average density of the order of 10(exp 12)cu cm, three orders of magnitude higher than for O VII. Implications for the coronal physics of Capella are discussed. We complement this paper with a discussion of the importance of the atomic code uncertainties on the spectral fitting procedure.

  6. Modeling the Oxygen K Absorption in the Interstellar Medium: An XMM-Newton View of Sco X-1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Garcia, J.; Ramirez, J. M.; Kallman, T. R.; Witthoeft, M.; Bautista, M. A.; Mendoza, C.; Palmeri, P.; Quinet, P.

    2011-01-01

    We investigate the absorption structure of the oxygen in the interstellar medium by analyzing XMM-Newton observations of the low mass X-ray binary Sco X-1. We use simple models based on the O I atomic cross section from different sources to fit the data and evaluate the impact of the atomic data in the interpretation of astrophysical observations. We show that relatively small differences in the atomic calculations can yield spurious results. We also show that the most complete and accurate set of atomic cross sections successfully reproduce the observed data in the 21 - 24.5 Angstrom wavelength region of the spectrum. Our fits indicate that the absorption is mainly due to neutral gas with an ionization parameter of Epsilon = 10(exp -4) erg/sq cm, and an oxygen column density of N(sub O) approx. = 8-10 x 10(exp 17)/sq cm. Our models are able to reproduce both the K edge and the K(alpha) absorption line from O I, which are the two main features in this region. We find no conclusive evidence for absorption by other than atomic oxygen.

  7. XMM-NEWTON DETECTS A HOT GASEOUS HALO IN THE FASTEST ROTATING SPIRAL GALAXY UGC 12591

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dai Xinyu; Anderson, Michael E.; Bregman, Joel N.

    2012-08-20

    We present our XMM-Newton observation of the fastest rotating spiral galaxy UGC 12591. We detect hot gas halo emission out to 80 kpc from the galaxy center, and constrain the halo gas mass to be smaller than 4.5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 11} M{sub Sun }. We also measure the temperature of the hot gas as T = 0.64 {+-} 0.03 keV. Combining our x-ray constraints and the near-infrared and radio measurements in the literature, we find a baryon mass fraction of 0.03-0.05 in UGC 12591, suggesting a missing baryon mass of 70% compared with the cosmological mean value. Combined with anothermore » recent measurement in NGC 1961, the result strongly argues that the majority of missing baryons in spiral galaxies do not reside in their hot halos. We also find that UGC 12591 lies significantly below the baryonic Tully-Fisher relationship. Finally, we find that the baryon fractions of massive spiral galaxies are similar to those of galaxy groups with similar masses, indicating that the baryon loss is ultimately controlled by the gravitational potential well. The cooling radius of this gas halo is small, similar to NGC 1961, which argues that the majority of the stellar mass of this galaxy is not assembled as a result of cooling of this gas halo.« less

  8. The Multi-Layer Variable Absorbers in NGC 1365 Revealed by XMM-Newton and NuSTAR

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rivers, E.; Risaliti, G.; Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F.; Arevalo, P.; Baur, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Brenneman, L. W.; Brightman, M.; Zhang, W. W.

    2015-01-01

    Between 2012 July and 2013 February, NuSTAR and XMM-Newton performed four long-look joint observations of the type 1.8 Seyfert, NGC 1365. We have analyzed the variable absorption seen in these observations in order to characterize the geometry of the absorbing material. Two of the observations caught NGC 1365 in an unusually low absorption state, revealing complexity in the multi-layer absorber that had previously been hidden. We find the need for three distinct zones of neutral absorption in addition to the two zones of ionized absorption and the Compton-thick torus previously seen in this source. The most prominent absorber is likely associated with broad-line region clouds with column densities of around approximately 10 (sup 23) per square centimeter and a highly clumpy nature as evidenced by an occultation event in 2013 February. We also find evidence of a patchy absorber with a variable column around approximately 10 (sup 22) per square centimeter and a line-of-sight covering fraction of 0.3-0.9, which responds directly to the intrinsic source flux, possibly due to a wind geometry. A full-covering, constant absorber with a low column density of approximately 1 by 10 (sup 22) per square centimeter is also present, though the location of this low density haze is unknown.

  9. Groups and the Entropy Floor: XMM-Newton Observations of Two Groups

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mushotzky, R. F.; Figueroa-Feliciano, E.; Loewenstein, M.; Snowden, S. L.

    2002-01-01

    Using XMM-Newton spatially resolved X-ray imaging spectroscopy we obtain the temperature, density, entropy, gas mass, and total mass profiles for two groups of galaxies out to approximately 0.3 R(sub vir)(R(sub vir), the virial radius). Our density profiles agree well with those derived previously, and the temperature data are broadly consistent with previous results but are considerably more precise. Both of these groups are at the mass scale of 2x10(exp 13) M(solar mass), but have rather different properties. Both have considerably lower gas mass fractions at r < 0.3 R(sub vir), than the rich clusters. NGC2563, one of the least luminous groups for its X-ray temperature, has a very low gas mass fraction of approximately 0.004 inside 0.1 R(sub vir), which increases with radius. NGC4325, one of the most luminous groups at the same average temperature, has a higher gas mass fraction of 0.02. The entropy profiles and the absolute values of the entropy as a function of virial radius also differ, with NGC4325 having a value of approximately 100 keV cm(exp -2) and NGC2563 a value of approximately 300 keV cm(exp -2) at r approximately 0.1 R(sub vir). For both groups the profiles rise monotonically with radius and there is no sign of an entropy 'floor'. These results are inconsistent with pre-heating scenarios that have been developed to explain a possible entropy floor in groups, but are broadly consistent with models of structure formation that include the effects of heating and/or the cooling of the gas. The total entropy in these systems provides a strong constraint on all models of galaxy and group formation, and on the poorly defined feedback process that controls the transformation of gas into stars and thus the formation of structure in the universe.

  10. Hunting for swinging millisecond pulsars with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Papitto, Alessandro

    2013-10-01

    The recent XMM discovery of a millisecond pulsar swinging between an accretion- powered (X-ray) and a rotation-powered (radio) pulsar state provided the final evidence of the evolutionary link between these two classes, demonstrating that transitions between the two states can be observed over of a few weeks. We propose a ToO program (made of 3 triggers of 60 ks, over a 3years timescale) aimed at detecting X-ray accretion powered pulsations in sources already known as ms radio pulsars. Candidates are restricted to black widows and redbacks, systems in an evolutionary phase that allows state transitions. Enlarging the number of systems in this transitional phase is crucial to test binary evolution theories, and to study the disk-field interaction over a large range of mass accretion rates.

  11. Eta Carinae's Thermal X-Ray Tail Measured with XMM-Newton and NuStar

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hamaguchi, Kenji; Corcoran, Michael F.; Gull, Theodore R.; Takahashi, Hiromitsu; Grefenstette, Brian; Yuasa, Takayuki; Stuhlinger, Martin; Russell, Christopher; Moffat, Anthony F. J.; Madura, Thomas

    2016-01-01

    The evolved, massive highly eccentric binary system, Car, underwent a periastron passage in the summer of 2014. We obtained two coordinated X-ray observations with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR during the elevated X-ray flux state and just before the X-ray minimum flux state around this passage. These NuSTAR observations clearly detected X-ray emission associated with eta Car extending up to approx. 50 keV for the first time. The NuSTAR spectrum above 10 keV can be fit with the bremsstrahlung tail from a kT approx. 6 keV plasma. This temperature is delta kT 2 keV higher than those measured from the iron K emission line complex, if the shocked gas is in collisional ionization equilibrium. This result may suggest that the companion star's pre-shock wind velocity is underestimated. The NuSTAR observation near the X-ray minimum state showed a gradual decline in the X-ray emission by 40% at energies above 5 keV in a day, the largest rate of change of the X-ray flux yet observed in individual eta Car observations. The column density to the hardest emission component, N(sub H) approx. 10(exp24) H cm(exp-2), marked one of the highest values ever observed for eta Car, strongly suggesting the increased obscuration of the wind-wind colliding X-ray emission by the thick primary stellar wind prior to superior conjunction. Neither observation detected the power-law component in the extremely hard band that INTEGRAL and Suzaku observed prior to 2011. The power-law source might have faded before these observations.

  12. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Classification of 2XMM variable sources (Lo+, 2014)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lo, K. K.; Farrell, S.; Murphy, T.; Gaensler, B. M.

    2017-06-01

    The 2XMMi-DR2 catalog (Cat. IX/40) consists of observations made with the XMM-Newton satellite between 2000 and 2008 and covers a sky area of about 420 deg2. The observations were made using the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) that consists of three CCD cameras - pn, MOS1, and MOS2 - and covers the energy range from 0.2 keV to 12 keV. There are 221012 unique sources in 2XMM-DR2, of which 2267 were flagged as variable by the XMM processing pipeline (Watson et al. 2009, J/A+A/493/339). The variability test used by the pipeline is a {Chi}2 test against the null hypothesis that the source flux is constant, with the probability threshold set at 10-5. (1 data file).

  13. XMM-Newton and NuSTAR Simultaneous X-Ray Observations of IGR J11215-5952

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sidoli, L.; Tiengo, A.; Paizis, A.

    2017-04-01

    We report the results of an XMM - Newton and NuSTAR coordinated observation of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) IGR J11215–5952, performed on 2016 February 14, during the expected peak of its brief outburst, which repeats every ∼165 days. Timing and spectral analysis were performed simultaneously in the energy band 0.4–78 keV. A spin period of 187.0 (±0.4) s was measured, consistent with previous observations performed in 2007. The X-ray intensity shows a large variability (more than one order of magnitude) on timescales longer than the spin period, with several luminous X-ray flares that repeat every 2–2.5 ks, somemore » of which simultaneously observed by both satellites. The broadband (0.4–78 keV) time-averaged spectrum was well deconvolved with a double-component model (a blackbody plus a power law with a high energy cutoff) together with a weak iron line in emission at 6.4 keV (equivalent width, EW, of 40 ± 10 eV). Alternatively, a partial covering model also resulted in an adequate description of the data. The source time-averaged X-ray luminosity was 10{sup 36} erg s{sup −1} (0.1–100 keV; assuming 7 kpc). We discuss the results of these observations in the framework of the different models proposed to explain SFXTs, supporting a quasi-spherical settling accretion regime, although alternative possibilities (e.g., centrifugal barrier) cannot be ruled out.« less

  14. Suzaku and XMM-Newton observations of the North Polar Spur: Charge exchange or ISM absorption?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gu, Liyi; Mao, Junjie; Costantini, Elisa; Kaastra, Jelle

    2016-10-01

    By revisiting the Suzaku and XMM-Newton data of the North Polar Spur, we discovered that the spectra are inconsistent with the traditional model consisting of pure thermal emission and neutral absorption. The most prominent discrepancies are the enhanced O vii and Ne ix forbidden-to-resonance ratios, and a high O viii Lyβ line relative to other Lyman series. A collisionally ionized absorption model can naturally explain both features, while a charge exchange component can only account for the former. By including the additional ionized absorption, the plasma in the North Polar Spur can be described by a single-phase collisional ionization equilibrium (CIE) component with a temperature of 0.25 keV, and nitrogen, oxygen, neon, magnesium, and iron abundances of 0.4-0.8 solar. The abundance pattern of the North Polar Spur is well in line with those of the Galactic halo stars. The high nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio reported in previous studies can be migrated to the large transmission of the O viii Lyα line. The ionized absorber is characterized by a balance temperature of 0.17-0.20 keV and a column density of 3-5 × 1019 cm-2. Based on the derived abundances and absorption, we speculate that the North Polar Spur is a structure in the Galactic halo, so that the emission is mostly absorbed by the Galactic interstellar medium in the line of sight.

  15. Re-examining the XMM-Newton spectrum of the black hole candidate XTE J1652-453

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiang, Chia-Ying; Reis, R. C.; Walton, D. J.; Fabian, A. C.

    2012-10-01

    The XMM-Newton spectrum of the black hole candidate XTE J1652-453 shows a broad and strong Fe Kα emission line, generally believed to originate from reflection of the inner accretion disc. These data have been analysed by Hiemstra et al. using a variety of phenomenological models. We re-examine the spectrum with a self-consistent relativistic reflection model. A narrow absorption line near 7.2 keV may be present, which if real is likely the Fe XXVI absorption line arising from highly ionized, rapidly outflowing disc wind. The blueshift of this feature corresponds to a velocity of about 11 100 km s-1, which is much larger than the typical values seen in stellar mass black holes. Given that we also find the source to have a low inclination (i ≲ 32°; close to face-on), we would therefore be seeing through the very base of outflow. This could be a possible explanation for the unusually high velocity. We use a reflection model combined with a relativistic convolution kernel which allows for both prograde and retrograde black hole spin, and treat the potential absorption feature with a physical model for a photoionized plasma. In this manner, assuming the disc is not truncated, we could only constrain the spin of the black hole in XTE J1652-453 to be less than ˜0.5 Jc/GM2 at the 90 per cent confidence limit.

  16. A Potential Cyclotron Resonant Scattering Feature in the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Pulsar NGC 300 ULX1 Seen by NuSTAR and XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walton, D. J.; Bachetti, M.; Fürst, F.; Barret, D.; Brightman, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Harrison, F. A.; Heida, M.; Kennea, J.; Kosec, P.; Lau, R. M.; Madsen, K. K.; Middleton, M. J.; Pinto, C.; Steiner, J. F.; Webb, N.

    2018-04-01

    Based on phase-resolved broadband spectroscopy using XMM-Newton and NuSTAR, we report on a potential cyclotron resonant scattering feature (CRSF) at E ∼ 13 keV in the pulsed spectrum of the recently discovered ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) pulsar NGC 300 ULX1. If this interpretation is correct, the implied magnetic field of the central neutron star is B ∼ 1012 G (assuming scattering by electrons), similar to that estimated from the observed spin-up of the star, and also similar to known Galactic X-ray pulsars. We discuss the implications of this result for the connection between NGC 300 ULX1 and the other known ULX pulsars, particularly in light of the recent discovery of a likely proton cyclotron line in another ULX, M51 ULX-8.

  17. VizieR Online Data Catalog: XCS-DR1 Cluster Catalogue (Mehrtens+, 2012)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mehrtens, N.; Romer, A. K.; Hilton, M.; Lloyd-Davies, E. J.; Miller, C. J.; Stanford, S. A.; Hosmer, M.; Hoyle, B.; Collins, C. A.; Liddle, A. R.; Viana, P. T. P.; Nichol, R. C.; Stott, J. P.; Dubois, E. N.; Kay, S. T.; Sahlen, M.; Young, O.; Short, C. J.; Christodoulou, L.; Watson, W. A.; Davidson, M.; Harrison, C. D.; Baruah, L.; Smith, M.; Burke, C.; Mayers, J. A.; Deadman, P.-J.; Rooney, P. J.; Edmondson, E. M.; West, M.; Campbell, H. C.; Edge, A. C.; Mann, R. G.; Sabirli, K.; Wake, D.; Benoist, C.; da Costa, L.; Maia, M. A. G.; Ogando, R.

    2013-04-01

    The XMM Cluster Survey (XCS) is a serendipitous search for galaxy clusters using all publicly available data in the XMM-Newton Science Archive. Its main aims are to measure cosmological parameters and trace the evolution of X-ray scaling relations. In this paper we present the first data release from the XMM Cluster Survey (XCS-DR1). This consists of 503 optically confirmed, serendipitously detected, X-ray clusters. Of these clusters, 256 are new to the literature and 357 are new X-ray discoveries. We present 463 clusters with a redshift estimate (0.06

  18. UV, X-ray, and Optical Variability of the Young Star T Cha Produced by Inner Disk Obscuration: Results from a Coordinated HST, XMM-Newton, LCOGT, and SMARTS Observing Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brown, Alexander; France, Kevin; Walter, Frederick M.; Schneider, P. Christian; Brown, Timothy M.; Andrews, Sean M.; Wilner, David J.

    2018-06-01

    The young (7 Myr) 1.5 solar mass T Tauri star T Chamaeleontis shows dramatic variability. The optical extinction varies by at least 3 magnitudes on few hour time-scales with no obvious periodicity. The obscuration is produced by material at the inner edge of the circumstellar disk and therefore characterizing the absorbing material can reveal important clues regarding the transport of gas and dust within such disks. The inner disk of T Cha is particularly interesting, because T Cha has a transitional disk with a large gap at 0.2-15 AU in the dust disk and allows study of the gas and dust structure in the terrestrial planet formation zone during this important rapid phase of protoplanetary disk evolution. For this reason we have conducted a major multi-spectral-region observing campaign to study the UV/X-ray/optical variability of T Cha. During 2018 February/March we monitored the optical photometric and spectral variability using LCOGT (Chile/South Africa/Australia) and the SMARTS telescopes in Chile. These optical data provide a broad context within which to interpret our shorter UV and X-ray observations. We observed T Cha during 3 coordinated observations (each 5 HST orbits + 25 ksec XMM; on 2018 Feb 22, Feb 26, Mar 2) using the HST COS/STIS spectrographs to measure the FUV/NUV spectra and XMM-Newton to measure the corresponding X-ray energy distribution. The observed spectral changes are well correlated and demonstrate the influence of the same absorbing material in all the spectral regions observed. By examining which spectral features change and by how much we can determine the location of different emitting regions relative to the absorbers along the line-of-sight to the star. In this poster we provide an overview of the variability seen in the different spectral regions and quantify the dust and gas content of T Cha's inner disk edge.(This work is supported by grant HST-GO-15128 and time awarded by HST, XMM-Newton, LCOGT, and SMARTS. We acknowledge the

  19. Unveiling the AGN activity in multiple SMBH systems observed with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Rosa, A.

    2017-10-01

    In this talk we will present results from the MAGNA (Multiple AGN Activity) project focused on the detection and study of multiple supermassive black hole systems. We investigate the physical properties (accretion rate and local environment) of multiple AGN candidates in interacting systems with respect to isolated sources with the goal to understand the mechanisms that trigger AGN activity in different stages of galaxy mergers. We present the study performed with SDSS and XMM data sets of 4 AGN pairs at separations of 20-70 kpc. XMM data allowed us to detect and characterize the AGN in all systems, by measuring the accretion and absorption properties of the sources. In each system at least one object is highly obscured, possibly Compton-thick, in agreement with the hypothesis that galaxy encounters are effective in driving gas inflow. One system however manifests the opposite behaviour showing a pair composed from an unobscured type 1 AGN and a Compton Thick AGN. The talk will reflect on broader implications of these findings.

  20. Probing the nature of AX J0043-737: Not an 87 ms pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maitra, C.; Ballet, J.; Esposito, P.; Haberl, F.; Tiengo, A.; Filipović, M. D.; Acero, F.

    2018-05-01

    Aims: AX J0043-737 is a source in the ASCA catalogue whose nature is uncertain. It is most commonly classified as a Crab-like pulsar in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) following apparent detection of pulsations at 87 ms from a single ASCA observation. A follow-up ASCA observation was not able to confirm this, and the X-ray detection of the source has not been reported since. Methods: We studied the nature of the source with a dedicated XMM-Newton observation. We ascertained the source position, searched for the most probable counterpart, and studied the X-ray spectrum. We also analysed other archival observations with the source in the field of view to study its long-term variability. Results: With the good position localisation capability of XMM-Newton, we identify the counterpart of the source as MQS J004241.66-734041.3, an active galactic nucleus (AGN) behind the SMC at a redshift of 0.95. The X-ray spectrum can be fitted with an absorbed power law with a photon-index of Γ = 1.7, which is consistent with that expected from AGNs. By comparing the current XMM-Newton observation with an archival XMM-Newton and two other ASCA observations of the source, we find signatures of long-term variability, another common phenomenon in AGNs. All of the above are consistent with AX J0043-737 being an AGN behind the SMC.

  1. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Catalog of XMM X-ray galaxy groups (Gozaliasl+, 2014)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gozaliasl, G.; Finoguenov, A.; Khosroshahi, H. G.; Mirkazemi, M.; Salvato, M.; Jassur, D. M. Z.; Erfanianfar, G.; Popesso, P.; Tanaka, M.; Lerchster, M.; Kneib, J. P.; McCracken, H. J.; Mellier, Y.; Egami, E.; Pereira, M. J.; Brimioulle, F.; Erben, T.; Seitz, S.

    2014-10-01

    We analysed the XMM-Newton observations of the CFHTLS wide (W1) field as a part of the XMM-LSS survey (Pierre et al., 2007MNRAS.382..279P, Cat. J/MNRAS/382/279). The details of observations and data reduction are presented in Bielby et al. (2010A&A...523A..66B). We concentrate on the low-z counterparts of the X-ray sources and use all XMM observations performed till 2009, covering an area of 2.276°x2.276°. The CFHTLS wide observations have been carried out in the period between 2003 and 2008, covering an effective survey area of ~154 square degrees. The optical images and data of the CFHTLS were obtained with the MegaPrime instrument mounted on the CFHT in the five filters u*, g', r', i' and z'. (1 data file).

  2. An XMM-Newton Observation of 4U1755-33 in Quiescence: Evidence for a Fossil X-Ray Jet

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Angelini, Lorella; White, Nicholas E.

    2003-01-01

    We report an XMM-Newton observation of the Low mass X-ray Binary (LMXB) and black hole candidate 4U1755-33. This source had been a bright persistent source for at least 25 yrs, but in 1995 entered an extended quiescent phase. 4U1755-33 was not detected with an upper limit to the 2-10 keV luminosity of 5 x 10(exp 31) d(sup 2) (sub 4kpc) ergs per second (where d(sub 4kpc) is the distance in units of 4 kpc) - consistent with the luminosity of other black hole candidates in a quiescent state. An unexpected result is the discovery of a narrow 7 arc min long X-ray jet centered on the position of 4Ul755-33. The spectrum of the jet is similar to that of jets observed from other galactic and extragalactic sources, and may have been ejected from 4Ul755-33 when it was bright. Jets are a feature of accreting black holes, and the detection of a fossil jet provides additional evidence supporting the black hole candidacy of 4U1755-33. The spectral properties of three bright serendipitous sources in the field are reported and it is suggested these are background active galactic nuclei sources.

  3. XMM-Newton observations of the supernova remnant IC 443. II. Evidence of stellar ejecta in the inner regions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Troja, E.; Bocchino, F.; Miceli, M.; Reale, F.

    2008-07-01

    Aims: We investigate the spatial distribution of the physical and chemical properties of the hot X-ray emitting plasma of the supernova remnant IC 443, to derive important constraints on its ionization stage, on the progenitor supernova explosion, on the age of the remnant, and its physical association with a close pulsar wind nebula. Methods: We present XMM-Newton images of IC 443, a median photon energy map, silicon and sulfur equivalent width maps, and a spatially resolved spectral analysis of a set of homogeneous regions. Results: The hard X-ray thermal emission (1.4-5.0 keV) of IC 443 displays a centrally-peaked morphology, its brightness peaks being associated with hot (kT > 1 keV) X-ray emitting plasma. A ring-shaped structure, characterized by high values of equivalent widths and median photon energy, encloses the PWN. Its hard X-ray emission is spectrally characterized by a collisional ionization equilibrium model, and strong emission lines of Mg, Si, and S, requiring oversolar metal abundances. Dynamically, the location of the ejecta ring suggests an SNR age of ~4000 yr. The presence of overionized plasma in the inner regions of IC 443, addressed in previous works, is much less evident in our observations.

  4. Peering Through the Dust. II. XMM-Newton Observations of Two Additional FIRST-2MASS Red Quasars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glikman, Eilat; LaMassa, Stephanie; Piconcelli, Enrico; Urry, Meg; Lacy, Mark

    2017-10-01

    We obtained XMM-Newton observations of two highly luminous dust-reddened quasars, F2M1113+1244 and F2M1656+3821, that appear to be in the early, transitional phase predicted by merger-driven models of quasar/galaxy co-evolution. These sources have been well studied at optical through mid-infrared wavelengths and are growing relatively rapidly, with Eddington ratios > 30 % . Their black hole masses are relatively small compared to their host galaxies, placing them below the {M}{BH}{--}{L}{bulge} relation. We find that for both sources, an absorbed power-law model with 1%-3% of the intrinsic continuum scattered or leaked back into the line of sight best fits their X-ray spectra. We measure the absorbing column density (N H ) and constrain the dust-to-gas ratios in these systems, finding that they lie well below the Galactic value. This, combined with the presence of broad emission lines in their optical and near-infrared spectra, suggests that the dust absorption occurs far from the nucleus and in the host galaxy, while the X-rays are mostly absorbed in the nuclear, dust-free region within the sublimation radius. We also compare the quasars’ absorption-corrected, rest-frame X-ray luminosities (2-10 keV) to their rest-frame infrared luminosities (6 μm) and find that red quasars, similar to other populations of luminous obscured quasars, are either underluminous in X-rays or overluminous in the infrared.

  5. Fifteen years in the high-energy life of the solar-type star HD 81809. XMM-Newton observations of a stellar activity cycle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orlando, S.; Favata, F.; Micela, G.; Sciortino, S.; Maggio, A.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.; Robrade, J.; Mittag, M.

    2017-09-01

    Context. The modulation of the activity level of solar-like stars is commonly revealed by cyclic variations in their chromospheric indicators, such as the Ca II H&K S-index, similarly to what is observed in our Sun. However, while the variation of solar activity is also reflected in the cyclical modulation of its coronal X-ray emission, similar behavior has only been discovered in a few stars other than the Sun. Aims: The data set of the long-term XMM-Newton monitoring program of HD 81809 is analyzed to study its X-ray cycle, investigate if the latter is related to the chromospheric cycle, infer the structure of the corona of HD 81809, and explore if the coronal activity of HD 81809 can be ascribed to phenomena similar to solar activity and, therefore, considered an extension of the solar case. Methods: We analyzed the observations of HD 81809 performed with XMM-Newton with a regular cadence of six months from 2001 to 2016, which represents one of the longest available observational baseline ( 15 yr) for a solar-like star with a well-studied chromospheric cycle (with a period of 8 yr). We investigated the modulation of coronal luminosity and temperature and its relation with the chromospheric cycle. We interpreted the data in terms of a mixture of solar-like coronal regions, adopting a method originally proposed to study the Sun as an X-ray star. Results: The observations show a well-defined regular cyclic modulation of the X-ray luminosity that reflects the activity level of HD 81809. The data covers approximately two cycles of coronal activity; the modulation has an amplitude of a factor of 5 (excluding evident flares, as in the June 2002 observation) and a period of 7.3 ± 1.5 yr, which is consistent with that of the chromospheric cycle. We demonstrate that the corona of HD 81809 can be interpreted as an extension of the solar case and can be modeled with a mixture of solar-like coronal regions along the whole cycle. The activity level is mainly determined by

  6. A Search for Hyperluminous X-Ray Sources in the XMM-Newton Source Catalog

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zolotukhin, I.; Webb, N. A.; Godet, O.; Bachetti, M.; Barret, D.

    2016-02-01

    We present a new method to identify luminous off-nuclear X-ray sources in the outskirts of galaxies from large public redshift surveys, distinguishing them from foreground and background interlopers. Using the 3XMM-DR5 catalog of X-ray sources and the SDSS DR12 spectroscopic sample of galaxies, with the help of this off-nuclear cross-matching technique, we selected 98 sources with inferred X-ray luminosities in the range 1041 < LX < 1044 erg s-1, compatible with hyperluminous X-ray objects (HLX). To validate the method, we verify that it allowed us to recover known HLX candidates such as ESO 243-49 HLX-1 and M82 X-1. From a statistical study, we conservatively estimate that up to 71 ± 11 of these sources may be foreground- or background sources, statistically leaving at least 16 that are likely to be HLXs, thus providing support for the existence of the HLX population. We identify two good HLX candidates and using other publicly available data sets, in particular the VLA FIRST in radio, UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey in the near-infrared, GALEX in the ultraviolet and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Megacam archive in the optical, we present evidence that these objects are unlikely to be foreground or background X-ray objects of conventional types, e.g., active galactic nuclei, BL Lac objects, Galactic X-ray binaries, or nearby stars. However, additional dedicated X-ray and optical observations are needed to confirm their association with the assumed host galaxies and thus secure their HLX classification.

  7. A XMM-Newton Observation of Nova LMC 1995, a Bright Supersoft X-ray Source

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Orio, Marina; Hartmann, Wouter; Still, Martin; Greiner, Jochen

    2003-01-01

    Nova LMC 1995, previously detected during 1995-1998 with ROSAT, was observed again as a luminous supersoft X-ray source with XMM-Newton in December of 2000. This nova offers the possibility to observe the spectrum of a hot white dwarf, burning hydrogen in a shell and not obscured by a wind or by nebular emission like in other supersoft X-ray sources. Notwithstanding uncertainties in the calibration of the EPIC instruments at energy E<0.5 keV, using atmospheric models in Non Local Thermonuclear Equilibrium we derived an effective temperature in the range 400,000-450,000 K, a bolometric luminosity Lbolabout equal to 2.3 times 10 sup37 erg s sup-l, and we verified that the abundance of carbon is not significantly enhanced in the X-rays emitting shell. The RGS grating spectra do not show emission lines (originated in a nebula or a wind) observed for some other supersoft X-ray sources. The crowded atmospheric absorption lines of the white dwarf cannot be not resolved. There is no hard component (expected from a wind, a surrounding nebula or an accretion disk), with no counts above the background at E>0.6 keV, and an upper limit Fx,hard = 10 sup-14 erg s sup-l cm sup-2 to the X-ray flux above this energy. The background corrected count rate measured by the EPIC instruments was variable on time scales of minutes and hours, but without the flares or sudden obscuration observed for other novae. The power spectrum shows a peak at 5.25 hours, possibly due to a modulation with the orbital period. We also briefly discuss the scenarios in which this nova may become a type Ia supernova progenitor.

  8. Shedding New Light on the Innermost Regions of AGN with XMM, Suzaku and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brenneman, Laura

    We request funding for two years ($257,041 in total) in support of accepted XMM- Newton and Suzaku observations of six bright, nearby active galactic nuclei (AGN): MCG-6-30-15, Ark 120, SWIFT J2127.4+5654, 3C120, NGC 4151 and IC 4329A. The first four of these AGN are to be observed simultaneously with XMM and NuSTAR during XMM's AO11 cycle, while the last two AGN will be studied simultaneously with Suzaku and NuSTAR during Suzaku's AO7 cycle. All six AGN observations were approved with priority A, and our observing campaign totals 1.14 Msec of exposure time. The XMM and Suzaku programs share four common goals: (1) to measure the angular momenta of the supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at the hearts of these active galaxies, (2) to accurately characterize the physical properties of the poorly understood inner accretion disk/corona region in these AGN, and (3) to identify the driver(s) of the spectral variability across multiple physical timescales in these systems, and (4) to examine correlations that exist between the various physical properties of these SMBHs and their surroundings. These three science goals address a critical component of NASA's Physics of the Cosmos mission: "the behavior of matter and energy in extreme environments." The high prioritization and long exposures of our awarded XMM and Suzaku observations underscore the scientific merit of these goals, as judged by the high-energy astronomy community. Our observing campaign will yield simultaneous broad-band X-ray spectra (0.2-80 keV) of these AGN with the best signal-to-noise and spectral resolution ever obtained across this energy range, guaranteeing new insights into the physics at work in the innermost regions around SMBHs. Using a combination of timing analysis and detailed spectral modeling, we will achieve the first truly accurate understanding of the nature of the X-ray continuum in AGN. The low-background, high-energy data from NuSTAR in tandem with the sensitivity at lower energies from

  9. Black Holes in Bulgeless Galaxies: An XMM-Newton Investigation of NGC 3367 AND NGC 4536

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McAlpine, W.; Satyapal, S.; Gliozzi, M.; Cheung, C. C.; Sambruna, R. M.; Eracleous, Michael

    2012-01-01

    The vast majority of optically identified active galactic nuclei (AGNs) in the local Universe reside in host galaxies with prominent bulges, supporting the hypothesis that black hole formation and growth is fundamentally connected to the build-up of galaxy bulges. However, recent mid-infrared spectroscopic studies with Spitzer of a sample of optically "normal" late-type galaxies reveal remarkably the presence of high-ionization [NeV] lines in several sources, providing strong evidence for AGNs in these galaxies. We present follow-up X-ray observations recently obtained with XMM-Newton of two such sources, the late-type optically normal galaxies NGC 3367 and NGC 4536. Both sources are detected in our observations. Detailed spectral analysis reveals that for both galaxies, the 2-10 keV emission is dominated by a power law with an X-ray luminosity in the L(sub 2- 10 keV) approximates 10(exp 39) - 10(exp 40) ergs/s range, consistent with low luminosity AGNs. While there is a possibility that X-ray binaries account for some fraction of the observed X-ray luminosity, we argue that this fraction is negligible. These observations therefore add to the growing evidence that the fraction of late-type galaxies hosting AGNs is significantly underestimated using optical observations alone. A comparison of the midinfrared [NeV] luminosity and the X-ray luminosities suggests the presence of an additional highly absorbed X-ray source in both galaxies, and that the black hole masses are in the range of 10(exp 5) - 10(exp 7) solar M for NGC 3367 and 10(exp 4) - (exp 10) solar M for NGC 4536

  10. Joint XMM-Newton and Chandra observations of the NGC 1407/1400 complex: A tail of an early-type galaxy and a tale of a nearby merging group

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Su, Yuanyuan; Gu, Liyi; White III, Raymond E.

    2014-05-10

    The nearby group centered on its bright central galaxy NGC 1407 has been suggested by previous kinematic studies to be an unusually dark system. It is also known for hosting a bright galaxy, NGC 1400, with a large radial velocity (1200 km s{sup –1}) with respect to the group center. Previous ROSAT X-ray observations revealed an extended region of enhanced surface brightness just eastward of NGC 1400. We investigate the NGC 1407/1400 complex with XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. We find that the temperature and metallicity of the enhanced region are different (cooler and more metal rich) than those of themore » surrounding group gas but are consistent with those of the interstellar medium (ISM) in NGC 1400. The relative velocity of NGC 1400 is large enough that much of its ISM could have been ram pressure stripped while plunging through the group atmosphere. We conclude that the enhanced region is likely to be hot gas stripped from the ISM of NGC 1400. We constrain the motion of NGC 1400 using the pressure jump at its associated stagnation front and the total mass profile of the NGC 1407 group. We conclude that NGC 1400 is moving within ∼30° of the line of sight with Mach number M≲3. We do not detect any obvious shock features in this complex, perhaps because of the high line-of-sight motion of NGC 1400. With an XMM-Newton pointing on the relatively relaxed eastern side of NGC 1407, we derive a hydrostatic mass for this group of ∼1 × 10{sup 13} M {sub ☉} within 100 kpc. The total mass extrapolated to the virial radius (681 kpc) is 3.8 × 10{sup 13} M {sub ☉}, which puts an upper limit of ∼300 M{sub ⊙}/L{sub B{sub ⊙}} on the mass-to-light ratio of this group. This suggests that the NGC 1407 group is not an unusually dark group.« less

  11. Cosmology with XMM galaxy clusters: the X-CLASS/GROND catalogue and photometric redshifts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ridl, J.; Clerc, N.; Sadibekova, T.; Faccioli, L.; Pacaud, F.; Greiner, J.; Krühler, T.; Rau, A.; Salvato, M.; Menzel, M.-L.; Steinle, H.; Wiseman, P.; Nandra, K.; Sanders, J.

    2017-06-01

    The XMM Cluster Archive Super Survey (X-CLASS) is a serendipitously detected X-ray-selected sample of 845 galaxy clusters based on 2774 XMM archival observations and covering an approximately 90 deg2 spread across the high-Galactic latitude (|b| > 20°) sky. The primary goal of this survey is to produce a well-selected sample of galaxy clusters on which cosmological analyses can be performed. This paper presents the photometric redshift follow-up of a high signal-to-noise ratio subset of 265 of these clusters with declination δ < +20° with Gamma-Ray Burst Optical and Near-Infrared Detector (GROND), a 7-channel (grizJHK) simultaneous imager on the MPG 2.2-m telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory. We use a newly developed technique based on the red sequence colour-redshift relation, enhanced with information coming from the X-ray detection to provide photometric redshifts for this sample. We determine photometric redshifts for 232 clusters, finding a median redshift of z = 0.39 with an accuracy of Δz = 0.02(1 + z) when compared to a sample of 76 spectroscopically confirmed clusters. We also compute X-ray luminosities for the entire sample and find a median bolometric luminosity of 7.2 × 1043 erg s-1 and a median temperature of 2.9 keV. We compare our results to those of the XMM-XCS and XMM-XXL surveys, finding good agreement in both samples. The X-CLASS catalogue is available online at http://xmm-lss.in2p3.fr:8080/l4sdb/.

  12. The evolution of the X-ray afterglow emission of GW 170817/ GRB 170817A in XMM-Newton observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Avanzo, P.; Campana, S.; Salafia, O. S.; Ghirlanda, G.; Ghisellini, G.; Melandri, A.; Bernardini, M. G.; Branchesi, M.; Chassande-Mottin, E.; Covino, S.; D'Elia, V.; Nava, L.; Salvaterra, R.; Tagliaferri, G.; Vergani, S. D.

    2018-05-01

    We report our observation of the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 170817A, associated to the binary neutron star merger gravitational wave (GW) event GW 170817, performed in the X-ray band with XMM-Newton 135 d after the event (on 29 December, 2017). We find evidence for a flattening of the X-ray light curve with respect to the previously observed brightening. This is also supported by a nearly simultaneous optical Hubble Space Telescope observation and successive X-ray Chandra and low-frequency radio observations recently reported in the literature. Since the optical-to-X-ray spectral slope did not change with respect to previous observations, we exclude that the change in the temporal evolution of the light curve is due to the passage of the cooling frequency: its origin must be geometric or dynamical. We interpret all the existing afterglow data with two models: i) a structured jet and ii) a jet-less isotropic fireball with some stratification in its radial velocity structure. Both models fit the data and predict that the radio flux must decrease simultaneously with the optical and X-ray emission, making it difficult to distinguish between them at the present stage. Polarimetric measurements and the rate of short GRB-GW associations in future LIGO/Virgo runs will be key to disentangle these two geometrically different scenarios.

  13. First stars of the ρ Ophiuchi dark cloud. XMM-Newton view of ρ Oph and its neighbors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pillitteri, I.; Wolk, S. J.; Chen, H. H.; Goodman, A.

    2016-08-01

    Star formation in molecular clouds can be triggered by the dynamical action of winds from massive stars. Furthermore, X-ray and UV fluxes from massive stars can influence the life time of surrounding circumstellar disks. We present the results of a 53 ks XMM-Newton observation centered on the ρ Ophiuchi A+B binary system. ρ Ophiuchi lies in the center of a ring of dust, likely formed by the action of its winds. This region is different from the dense core of the cloud (L1688 Core F) where star formation is at work. X-rays are detected from ρ Ophiuchi as well as a group of surrounding X-ray sources. We detected 89 X-ray sources, 47 of them have at least one counterpart in 2MASS+All-WISE catalogs. Based on IR and X-ray properties, we can distinguish between young stellar objects (YSOs) belonging to the cloud and background objects. Among the cloud members, we detect three debris-disk objects and 22 disk-less - Class III young stars.We show that these stars have ages in 5-10 Myr, and are significantly older than the YSOs in L1688. We speculate that they are the result of an early burst of star formation in the cloud. An X-ray energy of ≥5 × 1044 erg has been injected into the surrounding mediumover the past 5 Myr, we discuss the effects of such energy budget in relation to the cloud properties and dynamics.

  14. The 2-79 keV X-ray Spectrum of the Circinus Galaxy with NuSTAR, XMM-Newton and Chandra: a Fully Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nucleus

    DOE PAGES

    Arevalo, P.; Bauer, F. E.; Puccetti, S.; ...

    2014-07-30

    Here, the Circinus galaxy is one of the closest obscured active galactic nuclei (AGNs), making it an ideal target for detailed study. Combining archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data with new NuSTAR observations, we model the 2-79 keV spectrum to constrain the primary AGN continuum and to derive physical parameters for the obscuring material. Chandra's high angular resolution allows a separation of nuclear and off-nuclear galactic emission. In the off-nuclear diffuse emission, we find signatures of strong cold reflection, including high equivalent-width neutral Fe lines. This Compton-scattered off-nuclear emission amounts to 18% of the nuclear flux in the Fe line region,more » but becomes comparable to the nuclear emission above 30 keV. The new analysis no longer supports a prominent transmitted AGN component in the observed band. We find that the nuclear spectrum is consistent with Compton scattering by an optically thick torus, where the intrinsic spectrum is a power law of photon index Γ = 2.2-2.4, the torus has an equatorial column density of N H = (6-10) × 10 24 cm –2, and the intrinsic AGN 2-10 keV luminosity is (2.3-5.1) × 10 42 erg s –1. These values place Circinus along the same relations as unobscured AGNs in accretion rate versus Γ and L X versus L IR phase space. NuSTAR's high sensitivity and low background allow us to study the short timescale variability of Circinus at X-ray energies above 10 keV for the first time. Here, the lack of detected variability favors a Compton-thick absorber, in line with the spectral fitting results.« less

  15. X-Ray Spectral Study of AGN Sources Content in Some Deep Extragalactic XMM-Newton Fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassan, M. A.; Korany, B. A.; Misra, R.; Issa, I. A. M.; Ahmed, M. K.; Abdel-Salam, F. A.

    2012-06-01

    We undertake a spectral study of a sample of bright X-ray sources taken from six XMM-Newton fields at high galactic latitudes, where AGN are the most populous class. These six fields were chosen such that the observation had an exposure time more than 60 ksec, had data from the EPIC-pn detector in the full-Frame mode and lying at high galactic latitude | b|>25°. The analysis started by fitting the spectra of all sources with an absorbed power-law model, and then we fitted all the spectra with an absorbed power-law with a low energy black-body component model.The sources for which we added a black body gave an F-test probability of 0.01 or less (i.e. at 99% confidence level), were recognized as sources that display soft excess. We perform a comparative analysis of soft excess spectral parameters with respect to the underlying power-law one for sources that satisfy this criterion. Those sources, that do not show evidence for a soft excess, based on the F-test probability at a 99% confidence level, were also fitted with the absorbed power-law with a low energy black-body component model with the black-body temperature fixed at 0.1 and 0.2 keV. We establish upper limits on the soft excess flux for those sources at these two temperatures. Finally we have made use of Aladdin interactive sky atlas and matching with NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) to identify the X-ray sources in our sample. For those sources which are identified in the NED catalogue, we make a comparative study of the soft excess phenomenon for different types of systems.

  16. X-rays from HD 100546- A Young Herbig Star Orbited by Giant Protoplanets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skinner, Stephen

    A protoplanetary system consisting of at least two giant planets has beendetected orbiting the young nearby Herbig Be star HD 100546. The inner protoplanet orbits inside a gap within 14 AU of the star and is exposed to strong stellar UV and X-ray radiation. The detection of very warm disk gas provides evidence that stellar heating is affecting physical conditions in the planet-forming environment. We obtained a deep 74 ksec X-ray observation of HD 100546 in 2015 with XMM-Newton yielding an excellent-quality spectrum. We propose here to analyze the XMM-Newton data to determine the X-ray ionization and heating rates in the disk. X-ray ionization and heating affect the thermal and chemical structure of the disk and are key parameters for constructing realistic planet formation models. We are requesting ADAP funding to support the analysis and publication of this valuable XMM-Newton data set, which is now in the public archive.

  17. The 3XMM spectral fit database

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Georgantopoulos, I.; Corral, A.; Watson, M.; Carrera, F.; Webb, N.; Rosen, S.

    2016-06-01

    I will present the XMMFITCAT database which is a spectral fit inventory of the sources in the 3XMM catalogue. Spectra are available by the XMM/SSC for all 3XMM sources which have more than 50 background subtracted counts per module. This work is funded in the framework of the ESA Prodex project. The 3XMM catalog currently covers 877 sq. degrees and contains about 400,000 unique sources. Spectra are available for over 120,000 sources. Spectral fist have been performed with various spectral models. The results are available in the web page http://xraygroup.astro.noa.gr/ and also at the University of Leicester LEDAS database webpage ledas-www.star.le.ac.uk/. The database description as well as some science results in the joint area with SDSS are presented in two recent papers: Corral et al. 2015, A&A, 576, 61 and Corral et al. 2014, A&A, 569, 71. At least for extragalactic sources, the spectral fits will acquire added value when photometric redshifts become available. In the framework of a new Prodex project we have been funded to derive photometric redshifts for the 3XMM sources using machine learning techniques. I will present the techniques as well as the optical near-IR databases that will be used.

  18. An XMM-Newton Observation of the Lagoon Nebula and the Very Young Open Cluster NGC 6530

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rauw, G.; Naze, Y.; Gosset, E.; Stevens, I. R.; Blomme, R.; Corcoran, M. F.; Pittard, J. M.; Runacres, M. C.

    2002-01-01

    We report the results of an XMM-Newton observation of the Lagoon Nebula (M 8). Our EPIC images of this region reveal a cluster of point sources, most of which have optical counterparts inside the very young open cluster NGC 6530. The bulk of these X-ray sources are probably associated with low and intermediate mass pre-main sequence stars. One of the sources experiences a flare-like increase of its X-ray flux making it the second brightest source in M 8 after the O4 star 9 Sgr. The X-ray spectra of most of the brightest sources can be fitted with thermal plasma models with temperatures of kT approximately a few keV. Only a few of the X-ray selected PMS candidates are known to display H(alpha) emission and were previously classified as classical T Tauri stars. This suggests that most of the X-ray emitting PMS stars in NGC 6530 are weak line T Tauri stars. In addition to 9 Sgr, our EPIC field of view contains also a few early-type stars. The X-ray emission from HD 164816 is found to be typical for an O9.5III-IV star. At least one of the known Herbig Be stars in NGC 6530 (LkH(alpha) 115) exhibits a relatively strong X-ray emission, while most of the main sequence stars of spectral type B1 and later are not detected. We also detect (probably) diffuse X-ray emission from the Hourglass Region that might reveal a hot bubble blown by the stellar wind of Herschel 36, the ionizing star of the Hourglass Region.

  19. Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fitts, M.; Johnson-Throop, Kathy; Thomas, D.; Shackelford, K.

    2008-01-01

    In the early days of spaceflight, space life sciences data were been collected and stored in numerous databases, formats, media-types and geographical locations. While serving the needs of individual research teams, these data were largely unknown/unavailable to the scientific community at large. As a result, the Space Act of 1958 and the Science Data Management Policy mandated that research data collected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration be made available to the science community at large. The Biomedical Informatics and Health Care Systems Branch of the Space Life Sciences Directorate at JSC and the Data Archive Project at ARC, with funding from the Human Research Program through the Exploration Medical Capability Element, are fulfilling these requirements through the systematic population of the Life Sciences Data Archive. This program constitutes a formal system for the acquisition, archival and distribution of data for Life Sciences-sponsored experiments and investigations. The general goal of the archive is to acquire, preserve, and distribute these data using a variety of media which are accessible and responsive to inquiries from the science communities.

  20. ETA CARINAE’S THERMAL X-RAY TAIL MEASURED WITH XMM-NEWTON AND NuSTAR

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hamaguchi, Kenji; Corcoran, Michael F.; Gull, Theodore R.

    The evolved, massive highly eccentric binary system, η Car, underwent a periastron passage in the summer of 2014. We obtained two coordinated X-ray observations with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR during the elevated X-ray flux state and just before the X-ray minimum flux state around this passage. These NuSTAR observations clearly detected X-ray emission associated with η Car extending up to ∼50 keV for the first time. The NuSTAR spectrum above 10 keV can be fit with the bremsstrahlung tail from a kT ∼ 6 keV plasma. This temperature is ΔkT ∼ 2 keV higher than those measured from the iron K emission line complex, if the shockedmore » gas is in collisional ionization equilibrium. This result may suggest that the companion star's pre-shock wind velocity is underestimated. The NuSTAR observation near the X-ray minimum state showed a gradual decline in the X-ray emission by 40% at energies above 5 keV in a day, the largest rate of change of the X-ray flux yet observed in individual η Car observations. The column density to the hardest emission component, N{sub H} ∼ 10{sup 24} H cm{sup −2}, marked one of the highest values ever observed for η Car, strongly suggesting increased obscuration of the wind–wind colliding X-ray emission by the thick primary stellar wind prior to superior conjunction. Neither observation detected the power-law component in the extremely hard band that INTEGRAL and Suzaku observed prior to 2011. If the non-detection by NuSTAR is caused by absorption, the power-law source must be small and located very near the wind–wind collision apex. Alternatively, it may be that the power-law source is not related to either η Car or the GeV γ-ray source.« less

  1. An XMM-Newton Study of the Mixed-morphology Supernova Remnant W28 (G6.4-0.1)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Ping; Safi-Harb, Samar; Chen, Yang; Zhang, Xiao; Jiang, Bing; Ferrand, Gilles

    2014-08-01

    We have performed an XMM-Newton imaging and spectroscopic study of supernova remnant (SNR) W28, a prototype mixed-morphology or thermal composite SNR believed to be interacting with a molecular cloud. The observed hot X-ray emitting plasma is characterized by low metal abundances, showing no evidence of ejecta. The X-rays arising from the deformed northeastern shell consist of a thermal component with a temperature of ~0.3 keV plus a hard component of either thermal (temperature ~0.6 keV) or non-thermal (photon index = 0.9-2.4) origin. The X-ray emission in the SNR interior is blobby and the corresponding spectra are best described as the emission from a cold (~0.4 keV) plasma in non-equilibrium ionization with an ionization timescale of ~4.3 × 1011 cm-3 s plus a hot (~0.8 keV) gas in collisional ionization equilibrium. Applying the two-temperature model to the smaller central regions, we find non-uniform interstellar absorption, temperature, and density distribution, which indicates that the remnant is evolving in a non-uniform environment with denser material in the east and north. The cloudlet evaporation mechanism can essentially explain the properties of the X-ray emission in the center, and thermal conduction may also play a role for length scales comparable to the remnant radius. A recombining plasma model with an electron temperature of ~0.6 keV is also feasible for describing the hot central gas with the recombination age of the gas estimated at ~2.9 × 104 yr.

  2. One-Click Data Analysis Software for Science Operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Navarro, Vicente

    2015-12-01

    One of the important activities of ESA Science Operations Centre is to provide Data Analysis Software (DAS) to enable users and scientists to process data further to higher levels. During operations and post-operations, Data Analysis Software (DAS) is fully maintained and updated for new OS and library releases. Nonetheless, once a Mission goes into the "legacy" phase, there are very limited funds and long-term preservation becomes more and more difficult. Building on Virtual Machine (VM), Cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) technologies, this project has aimed at providing long-term preservation of Data Analysis Software for the following missions: - PIA for ISO (1995) - SAS for XMM-Newton (1999) - Hipe for Herschel (2009) - EXIA for EXOSAT (1983) Following goals have guided the architecture: - Support for all operations, post-operations and archive/legacy phases. - Support for local (user's computer) and cloud environments (ESAC-Cloud, Amazon - AWS). - Support for expert users, requiring full capabilities. - Provision of a simple web-based interface. This talk describes the architecture, challenges, results and lessons learnt gathered in this project.

  3. Archive & Data Management Activities for ISRO Science Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thakkar, Navita; Moorthi, Manthira; Gopala Krishna, Barla; Prashar, Ajay; Srinivasan, T. P.

    2012-07-01

    ISRO has kept a step ahead by extending remote sensing missions to planetary and astronomical exploration. It has started with Chandrayaan-1 and successfully completed the moon imaging during its life time in the orbit. Now, in future ISRO is planning to launch Chandrayaan-2 (next moon mission), Mars Mission and Astronomical mission ASTROSAT. All these missions are characterized by the need to receive process, archive and disseminate the acquired science data to the user community for analysis and scientific use. All these science missions will last for a few months to a few years but the data received are required to be archived, interoperable and requires a seamless access to the user community for the future. ISRO has laid out definite plans to archive these data sets in specified standards and develop relevant access tools to be able to serve the user community. To achieve this goal, a Data Center is set up at Bangalore called Indian Space Science Data Center (ISSDC). This is the custodian of all the data sets of the current and future science missions of ISRO . Chandrayaan-1 is the first among the planetary missions launched/to be launched by ISRO and we had taken the challenge and developed a system for data archival and dissemination of the payload data received. For Chandrayaan-1 the data collected from all the instruments are processed and is archived in the archive layer in the Planetary Data System (PDS 3.0) standards, through the automated pipeline. But the dataset once stored is of no use unless it is made public, which requires a Web-based dissemination system that can be accessible to all the planetary scientists/data users working in this field. Towards this, a Web- based Browse and Dissemination system has been developed, wherein users can register and search for their area of Interest and view the data archived for TMC & HYSI with relevant Browse chips and Metadata of the data. Users can also order the data and get it on their desktop in the PDS

  4. Lessons learned from planetary science archiving

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zender, J.; Grayzeck, E.

    2006-01-01

    The need for scientific archiving of past, current, and future planetary scientific missions, laboratory data, and modeling efforts is indisputable. To quote from a message by G. Santayama carved over the entrance of the US Archive in Washington DC “Those who can not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” The design, implementation, maintenance, and validation of planetary science archives are however disputed by the involved parties. The inclusion of the archives into the scientific heritage is problematic. For example, there is the imbalance between space agency requirements and institutional and national interests. The disparity of long-term archive requirements and immediate data analysis requests are significant. The discrepancy between the space missions archive budget and the effort required to design and build the data archive is large. An imbalance exists between new instrument development and existing, well-proven archive standards. The authors present their view on the problems and risk areas in the archiving concepts based on their experience acquired within NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) and ESA’s Planetary Science Archive (PSA). Individual risks and potential problem areas are discussed based on a model derived from a system analysis done upfront. The major risk for a planetary mission science archive is seen in the combination of minimal involvement by Mission Scientists and inadequate funding. The authors outline how the risks can be reduced. The paper ends with the authors view on future planetary archive implementations including the archive interoperability aspect.

  5. X-Ray Temperatures, Luminosities, and Masses from XMM-Newton Follow-up of the First Shear-selected Galaxy Cluster Sample

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Deshpande, Amruta J.; Hughes, John P.; Wittman, David, E-mail: amrejd@physics.rutgers.edu, E-mail: jph@physics.rutgers.edu, E-mail: dwittman@physics.ucdavis.edu

    We continue the study of the first sample of shear-selected clusters from the initial 8.6 square degrees of the Deep Lens Survey (DLS); a sample with well-defined selection criteria corresponding to the highest ranked shear peaks in the survey area. We aim to characterize the weak lensing selection by examining the sample’s X-ray properties. There are multiple X-ray clusters associated with nearly all the shear peaks: 14 X-ray clusters corresponding to seven DLS shear peaks. An additional three X-ray clusters cannot be definitively associated with shear peaks, mainly due to large positional offsets between the X-ray centroid and the shearmore » peak. Here we report on the XMM-Newton properties of the 17 X-ray clusters. The X-ray clusters display a wide range of luminosities and temperatures; the L {sub X} − T {sub X} relation we determine for the shear-associated X-ray clusters is consistent with X-ray cluster samples selected without regard to dynamical state, while it is inconsistent with self-similarity. For a subset of the sample, we measure X-ray masses using temperature as a proxy, and compare to weak lensing masses determined by the DLS team. The resulting mass comparison is consistent with equality. The X-ray and weak lensing masses show considerable intrinsic scatter (∼48%), which is consistent with X-ray selected samples when their X-ray and weak lensing masses are independently determined.« less

  6. The NOAO NVO Portal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, C. J.; Gasson, D.; Fuentes, E.

    2007-10-01

    The NOAO NVO Portal is a web application for one-stop discovery, analysis, and access to VO-compliant imaging data and services. The current release allows for GUI-based discovery of nearly a half million images from archives such as the NOAO Science Archive, the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 and ACS instruments, XMM-Newton, Chandra, and ESO's INT Wide-Field Survey, among others. The NOAO Portal allows users to view image metadata, footprint wire-frames, FITS image previews, and provides one-click access to science quality imaging data throughout the entire sky via the Firefox web browser (i.e., no applet or code to download). Users can stage images from multiple archives at the NOAO NVO Portal for quick and easy bulk downloads. The NOAO NVO Portal also provides simplified and direct access to VO analysis services, such as the WESIX catalog generation service. We highlight the features of the NOAO NVO Portal (http://nvo.noao.edu).

  7. Texas Science Teacher Characteristics and Conceptual Understanding of Newton's Laws of Motion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Busby, Karin Burk

    Misconceptions of Newtonian mechanics and other physical science concepts are well documented in primary and pre-service teacher populations (Burgoon, Heddle, & Duran, 2009; Allen & Coole, 2012; Kruger, Summers, & Palacio, 1990; Ginns & Watters, 1995; Trumper, 1999; Asikainen & Hirovonen, 2014). These misconceptions match the misconceptions held by students, leaving teachers ill-equipped to rectify these concepts in the classroom (Kind, 2014; Kruger et al., 1990; Cochran & Jones, 1998). Little research has been devoted to misconceptions held by in-service secondary teachers, the population responsible for teaching Newtonian mechanics. This study focuses on Texas in-service science teachers in middle school and high school science, specifically sixth grade science, seventh grade science, eighth grade science, integrated physics and chemistry, and physics teachers. This study utilizes two instruments to gauge conceptual understanding of Newton's laws of motion: the Force Concept Inventory [FCI] (Hestenes, Wells, & Swackhamer, 1992) and a custom instrument developed for the Texas Regional Collaboratives for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching (Urquhart, M., e-mail, April 4, 2017). Use of each instrument had its strengths and limitations. In the initial work of this study, the FCI was given to middle and high school teacher volunteers in two urban school districts in the Dallas- Fort Worth area to assess current conceptual understanding of Newtonian mechanics. Along with the FCI, each participant was asked to complete a demographic survey. Demographic data collected included participant's sex, years of service in teaching position, current teaching position, degrees, certification type, and current certifications for science education. Correlations between variables and overall average on the FCI were determined by t-tests and ANOVA tests with a post-hoc Holm-Bonferroni correction test. Test questions pertaining to each of Newton's three laws of motion were

  8. 3XMM J185246.6+003317: Another Low Magnetic Field Magnetar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rea, N.; Viganò, D.; Israel, G. L.; Pons, J. A.; Torres, D. F.

    2014-01-01

    We study the outburst of the newly discovered X-ray transient 3XMM J185246.6+003317, re-analyzing all available XMM-Newton observations of the source to perform a phase-coherent timing analysis, and derive updated values of the period and period derivative. We find the source rotating at P = 11.55871346(6) s (90% confidence level; at epoch MJD 54728.7) but no evidence for a period derivative in the seven months of outburst decay spanned by the observations. This translates to a 3σ upper limit for the period derivative of \\dot{P}< 1.4\\times 10^{-13} s s-1, which, assuming the classical magneto-dipolar braking model, gives a limit on the dipolar magnetic field of B dip < 4.1 × 1013 G. The X-ray outburst and spectral characteristics of 3XMM J185246.6+003317 confirm its identification as a magnetar, but the magnetic field upper limit we derive defines it as the third "low-B" magnetar discovered in the past 3 yr, after SGR 0418+5729 and Swift J1822.3-1606. We have also obtained an upper limit to the quiescent luminosity (<4 × 1033 erg s-1), in line with the expectations for an old magnetar. The discovery of this new low field magnetar reaffirms the prediction of about one outburst per year from the hidden population of aged magnetars.

  9. Revival of the Magnetar PSR J1622–4950: Observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Camilo, F.; Scholz, P.; Serylak, M.; Buchner, S.; Merryfield, M.; Kaspi, V. M.; Archibald, R. F.; Bailes, M.; Jameson, A.; van Straten, W.; Sarkissian, J.; Reynolds, J. E.; Johnston, S.; Hobbs, G.; Abbott, T. D.; Adam, R. M.; Adams, G. B.; Alberts, T.; Andreas, R.; Asad, K. M. B.; Baker, D. E.; Baloyi, T.; Bauermeister, E. F.; Baxana, T.; Bennett, T. G. H.; Bernardi, G.; Booisen, D.; Booth, R. S.; Botha, D. H.; Boyana, L.; Brederode, L. R. S.; Burger, J. P.; Cheetham, T.; Conradie, J.; Conradie, J. P.; Davidson, D. B.; De Bruin, G.; de Swardt, B.; de Villiers, C.; de Villiers, D. I. L.; de Villiers, M. S.; de Villiers, W.; De Waal, C.; Dikgale, M. A.; du Toit, G.; du Toit, L. J.; Esterhuyse, S. W. P.; Fanaroff, B.; Fataar, S.; Foley, A. R.; Foster, G.; Fourie, D.; Gamatham, R.; Gatsi, T.; Geschke, R.; Goedhart, S.; Grobler, T. L.; Gumede, S. C.; Hlakola, M. J.; Hokwana, A.; Hoorn, D. H.; Horn, D.; Horrell, J.; Hugo, B.; Isaacson, A.; Jacobs, O.; Jansen van Rensburg, J. P.; Jonas, J. L.; Jordaan, B.; Joubert, A.; Joubert, F.; Józsa, G. I. G.; Julie, R.; Julius, C. C.; Kapp, F.; Karastergiou, A.; Karels, F.; Kariseb, M.; Karuppusamy, R.; Kasper, V.; Knox-Davies, E. C.; Koch, D.; Kotzé, P. P. A.; Krebs, A.; Kriek, N.; Kriel, H.; Kusel, T.; Lamoor, S.; Lehmensiek, R.; Liebenberg, D.; Liebenberg, I.; Lord, R. T.; Lunsky, B.; Mabombo, N.; Macdonald, T.; Macfarlane, P.; Madisa, K.; Mafhungo, L.; Magnus, L. G.; Magozore, C.; Mahgoub, O.; Main, J. P. L.; Makhathini, S.; Malan, J. A.; Malgas, P.; Manley, J. R.; Manzini, M.; Marais, L.; Marais, N.; Marais, S. J.; Maree, M.; Martens, A.; Matshawule, S. D.; Matthysen, N.; Mauch, T.; McNally, L. D.; Merry, B.; Millenaar, R. P.; Mjikelo, C.; Mkhabela, N.; Mnyandu, N.; Moeng, I. T.; Mokone, O. J.; Monama, T. E.; Montshiwa, K.; Moss, V.; Mphego, M.; New, W.; Ngcebetsha, B.; Ngoasheng, K.; Niehaus, H.; Ntuli, P.; Nzama, A.; Obies, F.; Obrocka, M.; Ockards, M. T.; Olyn, C.; Oozeer, N.; Otto, A. J.; Padayachee, Y.; Passmoor, S.; Patel, A. A.; Paula, S.; Peens-Hough, A.; Pholoholo, B.; Prozesky, P.; Rakoma, S.; Ramaila, A. J. T.; Rammala, I.; Ramudzuli, Z. R.; Rasivhaga, M.; Ratcliffe, S.; Reader, H. C.; Renil, R.; Richter, L.; Robyntjies, A.; Rosekrans, D.; Rust, A.; Salie, S.; Sambu, N.; Schollar, C. T. G.; Schwardt, L.; Seranyane, S.; Sethosa, G.; Sharpe, C.; Siebrits, R.; Sirothia, S. K.; Slabber, M. J.; Smirnov, O.; Smith, S.; Sofeya, L.; Songqumase, N.; Spann, R.; Stappers, B.; Steyn, D.; Steyn, T. J.; Strong, R.; Struthers, A.; Stuart, C.; Sunnylall, P.; Swart, P. S.; Taljaard, B.; Tasse, C.; Taylor, G.; Theron, I. P.; Thondikulam, V.; Thorat, K.; Tiplady, A.; Toruvanda, O.; van Aardt, J.; van Balla, T.; van den Heever, L.; van der Byl, A.; van der Merwe, C.; van der Merwe, P.; van Niekerk, P. C.; van Rooyen, R.; van Staden, J. P.; van Tonder, V.; van Wyk, R.; Wait, I.; Walker, A. L.; Wallace, B.; Welz, M.; Williams, L. P.; Xaia, B.; Young, N.; Zitha, S.

    2018-04-01

    New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622–4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100× larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800× larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111 ± 19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3–6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6–8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.

  10. Using XMM-Newton to study the energy-dependent variability of H 1743-322 during its 2014 outburst

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stiele, H.; Yu, W.

    2016-08-01

    Black hole transients evolve during bright outbursts, showing distinct changes in their spectral and variability properties. These changes are interpreted as evidence for changes in the accretion flow and in the X-ray-emitting regions. We obtained an anticipated XMM-Newton Target of Opportunity observation of H 1743-322 during its outburst in 2014 September. Based on data from eight outbursts observed in the last 10 yr, we expected to catch the start of the hard-to-soft state transition. The fact that neither the general shape of the observed power density spectrum nor the characteristic frequency shows an energy dependence implies that the source remained in the low-hard state at the time of our observation near outburst peak. The spectral properties agree with the source being in the low-hard state, and a Swift/XRT monitoring of the outburst revealed that H 1743-322 stayed in the low-hard state during the entire outburst (known as a `failed outburst'). Here we derive the averaged QPO waveform and obtain phase-resolved spectra. A comparison of the phase-resolved spectra with the phase-averaged energy spectrum reveals spectral pivoting. We compare variability on long and short time-scales using covariance spectra and find that the covariance ratio does not show an increase towards lower energies. In other binaries an increase has been found. There are two possible explanations: either the absence of additional disc variability on longer time-scales is related to the high inclination of H 1743-322 compared with other black hole X-ray binaries, or it is the reason why we observe H 1743-322 during a failed outburst. More data on failed outbursts and on high-inclination sources will be needed in order to investigate these two possibilities further.

  11. Study of the Many Fluorescent Lines and the Absorption Variability in GX 301-2 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fuerst, F.; Suchy, S.; Kreykenbohm, I.; Barragan, L.; Wilms, J.; Pottschmidt, K.; Caballero, I.; Kretschmar, P.; Ferrigno, C.; Rothschild, R. E.

    2011-01-01

    We present an in-depth study of the High Mass X-ray Binary (HMXB) GX 301-2 during its pre-periastron flare using data from the XMM-Newton satellite. The energy spectrum shows a power law continuum absorbed by a large equivalent hydrogen column on the order of 10(exp 24)/ sq cm and a prominent Fe K-alpha fluorescent emission line. Besides the Fe K-alpha line, evidence for Fe K-Beta, Ni K-alpha, Ni K-Beta, S K-alpha, Ar K-alpha, Ca K-alpha, and Cr K-alpha fluorescent lines is found. The observed line strengths are consistent with fluorescence in a cold absorber. This is the first time that Cr K-alpha is seen in emission in the X-ray spectrum of a HMXB. In addition to the modulation by the strong pulse period of approx 685 sec the source is highly variable and shows different states of activity. We perform time-resolved as well as pulse-to-pulse resolved spectroscopy to investigate differences between these states of activity. We find that fluorescent line fluxes are strongly variable and generally follow the overall flux. The N-H value is variable by a factor of 2, but not correlated to continuum normalization. We find an interval of low flux in the light curve in which the pulsations cease almost completely, without any indication of an increasing absorption column. We investigate this dip in detail and argue that it is most likely that during the dip the accretion ceased and the afterglow of the fluorescent iron accounted for the main portion of the X-ray flux. A similar dip was found earlier in RXTE data, and we compare our findings to these results.

  12. Packet utilisation definitions for the ESA XMM mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nye, H. R.

    1994-01-01

    XMM, ESA's X-Ray Multi-Mirror satellite, due for launch at the end of 1999 will be the first ESA scientific spacecraft to implement the ESA packet telecommand and telemetry standards and will be the first ESOC-controlled science mission to take advantage of the new flight control system infrastructure development (based on object-oriented design and distributed-system architecture) due for deployment in 1995. The implementation of the packet standards is well defined at packet transport level. However, the standard relevant to the application level (the ESA Packet Utilization Standard) covers a wide range of on-board 'services' applicable in varying degrees to the needs of XMM. In defining which parts of the ESA PUS to implement, the XMM project first considered the mission objectives and the derived operations concept and went on to identify a minimum set of packet definitions compatible with these aspects. This paper sets the scene as above and then describes the services needed for XMM and the telecommand and telemetry packet types necessary to support each service.

  13. Life Sciences Data Archive Scientific Development

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Buckey, Jay C., Jr.

    1995-01-01

    The Life Sciences Data Archive will provide scientists, managers and the general public with access to biomedical data collected before, during and after spaceflight. These data are often irreplaceable and represent a major resource from the space program. For these data to be useful, however, they must be presented with enough supporting information, description and detail so that an interested scientist can understand how, when and why the data were collected. The goal of this contract was to provide a scientific consultant to the archival effort at the NASA-Johnson Space Center. This consultant (Jay C. Buckey, Jr., M.D.) is a scientist, who was a co-investigator on both the Spacelab Life Sciences-1 and Spacelab Life Sciences-2 flights. In addition he was an alternate payload specialist for the Spacelab Life Sciences-2 flight. In this role he trained on all the experiments on the flight and so was familiar with the protocols, hardware and goals of all the experiments on the flight. Many of these experiments were flown on both SLS-1 and SLS-2. This background was useful for the archive, since the first mission to be archived was Spacelab Life Sciences-1. Dr. Buckey worked directly with the archive effort to ensure that the parameters, scientific descriptions, protocols and data sets were accurate and useful.

  14. Detection of Nitrogen and Neon in the X-ray Spectrum of GP Com with XMM/Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strohmayer, Tod E.

    2004-01-01

    We report on X-ray spectroscopic observations with XMM/Newton of the ultra-compact, double white dwarf binary, GP Com. With the Reflection Grating Spectrometers (RGS) we detect the L(alpha) and L(beta) lines of hydrogen-like nitrogen (N VII) and neon (Ne X), as well as the helium-like triplets (N VI and Ne IX) of these same elements. All the emission lines are unresolved. These are the first detections of X-ray emission lines from a double-degenerate, AM CVn system. We detect the resonance (r) and intercombination (i) lines of the N VI triplet, but not the forbidden (f) line. The implied line ratios for N VI, R = f/i less than 0.3, and G = (f + i ) / r approx. = 1, combined with the strong resonance line are consistent with a dense, collision-dominated plasma. Both the RGS and EPIC/MOS spectra are well fit by emission horn an optically thin thermal plasma with an emission measure (EM) is a member of (kT/6.5 keV)(sup 0.8) (model cevmkl in XSPEC). Helium, nitrogen, oxygen and neon are required to adequately model the spectrum, however, the inclusion of sulphur and iron further improves the fit, suggesting these elements may also be present at low abundance. We confirm in the X-rays the under- abundance of both carbon and oxygen relative to nitrogen, first deduced from optical spectroscopy by Marsh et al. The average X-ray luminosity of approx. = 3 x 10(exp 30) ergs/s implies a mass accretion rate dot-m approx. = 9 x 10(exp -13) solar mass/yr. The implied temperature and density of the emitting plasma, combined with the presence of narrow emission lines and the low dot-m value, are consistent with production of the X-ray emission in an optically thin boundary layer just above the surface of the white dwarf.

  15. Optical, Near-IR, and X-Ray Observations of SN 2015J and Its Host Galaxy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nucita, A. A.; De Paolis, F.; Saxton, R.; Testa, V.; Strafella, F.; Read, A.; Licchelli, D.; Ingrosso, G.; Convenga, F.; Boutsia, K.

    2017-12-01

    SN 2015J was discovered on 2015 April 27th and is classified as an SN IIn. At first, it appeared to be an orphan SN candidate, I.e., without any clear identification of its host galaxy. Here, we present an analysis of the observations carried out by the VLT 8 m class telescope with the FORS2 camera in the R band and the Magellan telescope (6.5 m) equipped with the IMACS Short-Camera (V and I filters) and the FourStar camera (Ks filter). We show that SN 2015J resides in what appears to be a very compact galaxy, establishing a relation between the SN event and its natural host. We also present and discuss archival and new X-ray data centered on SN 2015J. At the time of the supernova explosion, Swift/XRT observations were made and a weak X-ray source was detected at the location of SN 2015J. Almost one year later, the same source was unambiguously identified during serendipitous observations by Swift/XRT and XMM-Newton, clearly showing an enhancement of the 0.3-10 keV band flux by a factor ≃ 30 with respect to the initial state. Swift/XRT observations show that the source is still active in the X-rays at a level of ≃ 0.05 counts s-1. The unabsorbed X-ray luminosity derived from the XMM-Newton slew and SWIFT observations, {L}x≃ 5× {10}41 erg s-1, places SN 2015J among the brightest young supernovae in X-rays. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA, with ESO Telescopes at the La Silla-Paranal Observatory under program ID 298.D-5016(A), and with the 6.5 m Magellan Telescopes located at Las Campanas Observatory, Chile. We also acknowledge the use of public data from the Swift data archive.

  16. The x-ray luminous galaxy cluster population at 0.9 < z ≲ 1.6 as revealed by the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fassbender, R.; Böhringer, H.; Nastasi, A.; Šuhada, R.; Mühlegger, M.; de Hoon, A.; Kohnert, J.; Lamer, G.; Mohr, J. J.; Pierini, D.; Pratt, G. W.; Quintana, H.; Rosati, P.; Santos, J. S.; Schwope, A. D.

    2011-12-01

    We present the largest sample to date of spectroscopically confirmed x-ray luminous high-redshift galaxy clusters comprising 22 systems in the range 0.9 as part of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project (XDCP). All systems were initially selected as extended x-ray sources over 76.1 deg2 of non-contiguous deep archival XMM-Newton coverage, of which 49.4 deg2 are part of the core survey with a quantifiable selection function and 17.7 deg2 are classified as ‘gold’ coverage as the starting point for upcoming cosmological applications. Distant cluster candidates were followed up with moderately deep optical and near-infrared imaging in at least two bands to photometrically identify the cluster galaxy populations and obtain redshift estimates based on the colors of simple stellar population models. We test and calibrate the most promising redshift estimation techniques based on the R-z and z-H colors for efficient distant cluster identifications and find a good redshift accuracy performance of the z-H color out to at least z ˜ 1.5, while the redshift evolution of the R-z color leads to increasingly large uncertainties at z ≳ 0.9. Photometrically identified high-z systems are spectroscopically confirmed with VLT/FORS 2 with a minimum of three concordant cluster member redshifts. We present first details of two newly identified clusters, XDCP J0338.5+0029 at z = 0.916 and XDCP J0027.2+1714 at z = 0.959, and investigate the x-ray properties of SpARCS J003550-431224 at z = 1.335, which shows evidence for ongoing major merger activity along the line-of-sight. We provide x-ray properties and luminosity-based total mass estimates for the full sample of 22 high-z clusters, of which 17 are at z ⩾ 1.0 and seven populate the highest redshift bin at z > 1.3. The median system mass of the sample is M200 ≃ 2 × 1014 M⊙, while the probed mass range for the distant clusters spans approximately (0.7-7) × 1014 M⊙. The majority (>70%) of the x-ray selected clusters

  17. The XCatDB, a Rich 3XMM Catalogue Interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michel, L.; Grisé, F.; Motch, C.; Gomez-Moran, A. N.

    2015-09-01

    The last release of the XMM catalog, the 3XMM-DR4 published in July 2013, is the largest X-ray catalog ever built. It includes lots of data products such as spectra, time series, images, previews, and extractions of archival catalogs matching the position of X-ray sources. The Strasbourg Observatory built an original interface called XCatDB. It was designed to make the best of this wide set of related products with an emphasis on the images. Besides, it offers an easy access to all other catalog parameters. Users can select data with very elaborate queries and can process them with online services such as an X-ray spectral fitting routine. The combination of all these features allows the users to select data of interest to the naked eye as well as to filter catalog parameters. Data selections can be picked out for further scientific analysis thanks to an interface operating external VO clients. The XcatDB has been developed with Saada.

  18. HotGAS: A Public Archive of Ready-to-Go Chandra High Energy Grating Spectral Products for Active Galactic Nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yaqoob, T.

    2005-12-01

    We describe a public WWW archive (HotGAS) containing data products from Chandra observations using the High Energy Grating Spectrometer (HETGS). Spectral products are available from the archive in various formats and are suitable for use by non-experts and experts alike. Lightcurves and cross-dispersion profiles are also available. Easy and user-friendly access for non X-ray astronomers to reprocessed, publishable quality grating data products should help to promote inter-disciplinary and multi-wavelength research on active galactic nuclei (AGN). The archive will also be useful to X-ray astronomers who have not yet had experience with high resolution X-ray spectroscopy, as well as experienced X-ray astronomers who need quick access to clean and ready-to-go data products. Theoreticians may find the archive useful for testing their models without having to deal with the fine details of data processing and reduction. We also anticipate that the archive will be useful for training graduate students in high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy and for providing a resource for projects for high-school and graduate students. We plan to eventually expand the archive to include AGN data from the Chandra Low Energy Grating Spectrometer (LETGS), and the XMM-Newton Reflection-Grating Spectrometer (RGS). Further in the future we plan to extend the archive to include data from other astrophysical sources aside from AGN. The project thus far is funded by an archival Chandra grant.

  19. Cassini/Huygens Program Archive Plan for Science Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Conners, D.

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to describe the Cassini/Huygens science data archive system which includes policy, roles and responsibilities, description of science and supplementary data products or data sets, metadata, documentation, software, and archive schedule and methods for archive transfer to the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS).

  20. X-Ray Temperatures, Luminosities, and Masses from XMM-Newton Follow-upof the First Shear-selected Galaxy Cluster Sample

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deshpande, Amruta J.; Hughes, John P.; Wittman, David

    2017-04-01

    We continue the study of the first sample of shear-selected clusters from the initial 8.6 square degrees of the Deep Lens Survey (DLS); a sample with well-defined selection criteria corresponding to the highest ranked shear peaks in the survey area. We aim to characterize the weak lensing selection by examining the sample’s X-ray properties. There are multiple X-ray clusters associated with nearly all the shear peaks: 14 X-ray clusters corresponding to seven DLS shear peaks. An additional three X-ray clusters cannot be definitively associated with shear peaks, mainly due to large positional offsets between the X-ray centroid and the shear peak. Here we report on the XMM-Newton properties of the 17 X-ray clusters. The X-ray clusters display a wide range of luminosities and temperatures; the L X -T X relation we determine for the shear-associated X-ray clusters is consistent with X-ray cluster samples selected without regard to dynamical state, while it is inconsistent with self-similarity. For a subset of the sample, we measure X-ray masses using temperature as a proxy, and compare to weak lensing masses determined by the DLS team. The resulting mass comparison is consistent with equality. The X-ray and weak lensing masses show considerable intrinsic scatter (˜48%), which is consistent with X-ray selected samples when their X-ray and weak lensing masses are independently determined. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at the W.M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

  1. Chandra and XMM-Newton Study of the Supernova Remnant Kes 73 Hosting the Magnetar 1E 1841-045

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Harsha S.; Safi-Harb, Samar; Slane, Patrick O.; Gotthelf, E. V.

    2014-01-01

    We present a Chandra and XMM-Newton study of the supernova remnant (SNR) Kes 73 hosting the anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 1841-045. The Chandra image reveals clumpy structures across the remnant with enhanced emission along the western rim. The X-ray emission fills the radio shell and spatially correlates with the infrared image. The global X-ray spectrum is described by a two-component thermal model with a column density N H = 2.6^{+0.4}_{-0.3}\\times1022 cm-2 and a total luminosity of LX = 3.3^{+0.7}_{-0.5}\\times1037 erg s-1 (0.5-10 keV, at an assumed distance of 8.5 kpc). The soft component is characterized by a temperature kTs = 0.5^{+0.1}_{-0.2} keV, a high ionization timescale, and enhanced Si and S abundances, suggesting emission that is dominated by shocked ejecta. The hard component has a temperature kTh = 1.6^{+0.8}_{-0.7} keV, a relatively low ionization timescale, and mostly solar abundances suggesting emission that is dominated by interstellar/circumstellar shocked material. A spatially resolved spectroscopy study reveals no significant variations in the spectral properties. We infer an SNR age ranging between 750 yr and 2100 yr, an explosion energy of 3.0^{+2.8}_{-1.8}\\times1050 erg and a shock velocity of (1.2 ± 0.3)×103 km s-1 (under the Sedov phase assumption). We also discuss the possible scenario for Kes 73 expanding into the late red-supergiant wind phase of its massive progenitor. Comparing the inferred metal abundances to core-collapse nucleosynthesis model yields, we estimate a progenitor mass gsim20 M ⊙, adding a candidate to the growing list of highly magnetized neutron stars proposed to be associated with very massive progenitors.

  2. A Multi-Epoch Timing and Spectral Study of the ULX NGC 5408 X-1 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Strohmayer, Tod E.; Dheeraj, Pasham R.

    2012-01-01

    We report results from extensive new XMM- Newton observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5408 X-1, one of the few ULXs to show quasi-periodic X-ray variability. We detect quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in each of four new (approximately equal 100 ks each) pointings, expanding the range of frequencies and rms amplitudes observed from the source to 10-40 mHz and 10-45 %, respectively. However, similarly significant variations in the power-law photon spectral index, Gamma, are not observed. We use the results of timing and energy spectral modeling to compare with the timing and spectral correlations seen in stellar-mass systems. We find that the qualitative nature of the timing and energy spectra of NGC 5408 X-1 are very similar to stellar-mass black holes in the steep power-law state exhibiting Type-C QPOs. However, in order for this analogy to quantitatively hold we must only be seeing the so-called saturated portion of the QPO frequency - photon index (or disk flux) relation. Assuming this to be the case, we place a lower limit on the mass of NGC 5408 X-1 of approx greater than 800 Solar Mass. Alternatively, the QPO centroid frequency is largely independent of the spectral parameters, in which case a close analogy of NGC 5408 X-1's mHz QPOs with Type-C QPOs in stellar systems is problematic. Measurement of the source's timing properties over a greater range of spectral parameters (in particular the spectral index) is needed in order to definitively resolve this ambiguity. We searched all the available data for both a broad Fe emission line as well as high frequency QPO analogs (0.1 - 1 Hz), but detected neither. We place upper limits on the equivalent width of any Fe emission feature in the 6 - 7 keY band, and of the amplitude (rms) of a high frequency QPO analog of approx equal 10 eV and approx equal 4%, respectively.

  3. Catalog of candidates for quasars at 3 < z < 5.5 selected among X-Ray sources from the 3XMM-DR4 survey of the XMM-Newton observatory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khorunzhev, G. A.; Burenin, R. A.; Meshcheryakov, A. V.; Sazonov, S. Yu.

    2016-05-01

    We have compiled a catalog of 903 candidates for type 1 quasars at redshifts 3 < z < 5.5 selected among the X-ray sources of the "serendipitous" XMM-Newton survey presented in the 3XMMDR4 catalog (the median X-ray flux is ≈5 × 10-15 erg s-1 cm-2 in the 0.5-2 keV energy band) and located at high Galactic latitudes | b| > 20° in Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) fields with a total area of about 300 deg2. Photometric SDSS data as well infrared 2MASS and WISE data were used to select the objects. We selected the point sources from the photometric SDSS catalog with a magnitude error δ mz' < 0.2 and a color i' - z' < 0.6 (to first eliminate the M-type stars). For the selected sources, we have calculated the dependences χ2( z) for various spectral templates from the library that we compiled for these purposes using the EAZY software. Based on these data, we have rejected the objects whose spectral energy distributions are better described by the templates of stars at z = 0 and obtained a sample of quasars with photometric redshift estimates 2.75 < z phot < 5.5. The selection completeness of known quasars at z spec > 3 in the investigated fields is shown to be about 80%. The normalized median absolute deviation (Δ z = | z spec - z phot|) is σ Δ z /(1+ z spec) = 0.07, while the outlier fraction is η = 9% when Δ z/(1 + z cпek.) > 0.2. The number of objects per unit area in our sample exceeds the number of quasars in the spectroscopic SDSS sample at the same redshifts approximately by a factor of 1.5. The subsequent spectroscopic testing of the redshifts of our selected candidates for quasars at 3 < z < 5.5 will allow the purity of this sample to be estimated more accurately.

  4. Applying the Science of Learning to the Learning of Science: Newton's Second Law of Motion

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemmer, Miriam

    2018-01-01

    Science teaching and learning require knowledge about how learning takes place (cognition) and how learners interact with their surroundings (affective and sociocultural factors). The study reported on focussed on learning for understanding of Newton's second law of motion from a cognitive perspective that takes social factors into account. A…

  5. Recurrent Outbursts Revealed in 3XMM J031820.8-663034

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Hai-Hui; Weng, Shan-Shan; Wang, Jun-Xian

    2018-06-01

    3XMM J031820.8-663034, first detected by ROSAT in NGC 1313, is one of a few known transient ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). In this paper, we present decades of X-ray data of this source from ROSAT, XMM-Newton, Chandra, and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We find that its X-ray emission experienced four outbursts since 1992, with a typical recurrent time ∼1800 days, an outburst duration ∼240–300 days, and a nearly constant peak X-ray luminosity ∼1.5 × 1039 erg s‑1. The upper limit of X-ray luminosity at the quiescent state is ∼5.6 × 1036 erg s‑1, and the total energy radiated during one outburst is ∼1046 erg. The spectra at the high luminosity states can be described with an absorbed disk blackbody, and the disk temperature increases with the X-ray luminosity. We compare its outburst properties with other known transient ULXs including ESO 243-49 HLX-1. As its peak luminosity only marginally puts it in the category of ULXs, we also compare it with normal transient black hole binaries. Our results suggest that the source is powered by an accreting massive stellar-mass black hole, and the outbursts are triggered by the thermal-viscous instability.

  6. A Multi-Epoch Timing and Spectral Study of the Ultraluminous X-Ray NGC 5408 X-1 with XMM-Newton

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dheeraj, Pasham; Strohmayer, Tod E.

    2012-01-01

    We present results of new XMM-Newton observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 5408 X-1, one of the few ULXs to show quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). We detect QPOs in each of four new (approximately equal to 100 ks) pointings, expanding the range of frequencies observed from 10 to 40 mHz. We compare our results with the timing and spectral correlations seen in stellar-mass black hole systems, and find that the qualitative nature of the timing and spectral behavior of NGC 5408 X-1 is similar to systems in the steep power-law state exhibiting Type-C QPOs. However, in order for this analogy to quantitatively hold we must only be seeing the so-called saturated portion of the QPO frequency-photon index (or disk flux) relation. Assuming this to be the case, we place a lower limit on the mass of NGC 5408 X-1 of greater than or equal to 800 solar mass. Alternatively, the QPO frequency is largely independent of the spectral parameters, in which case a close analogy with the Type-C QPOs in stellar system is problematic. Measurement of the source's timing properties over a wider range of energy spectral index is needed to definitively resolve this ambiguity. We searched all the available data for both a broad Fe emission line as well as high-frequency QPO analogs (0.1- 1 Hz), but detected neither. We place upper limits on the equivalent width of any Fe emission feature in the 6-7 keV band and of the amplitude (rms) of a high-frequency QPO analog of approximately equal to 10 eV and approximately equal to 4%, respectively.

  7. XMM-Newton observation of the supernova remnant Kes 78 (G32.8-0.1): Evidence of shock-cloud interaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miceli, M.; Bamba, A.; Orlando, S.; Zhou, P.; Safi-Harb, S.; Chen, Y.; Bocchino, F.

    2017-03-01

    Context. The Galactic supernova remnant Kes 78 is surrounded by dense molecular clouds, whose projected position overlaps with the extended HESS γ-ray source HESS J1852-000. The X-ray emission from the remnant has recently been revealed by Suzaku observations, which have shown indications for a hard X-ray component in the spectra that might be associated with synchrotron radiation. Aims: We describe the spatial distribution of the physical properties of the X-ray emitting plasma and reveal the effects of the interaction of the remnant with the inhomogeneous ambient medium. We also investigate the origin of the γ-ray emission, which may be inverse-Compton radiation associated with X-ray synchrotron-emitting electrons or hadronic emission originating from the impact of high-energy protons on the nearby clouds. Methods: We analyzed an XMM-Newton EPIC observation of Kes 78 by performing image analysis and spatially resolved spectral analysis on a set of three regions. We tested our findings against the observations of the 12CO and 13CO emission in the environment of the remnant. Results: We reveal the complex X-ray morphology of Kes 78 and find variations in the spectral properties of the plasma, with significantly denser and cooler material at the eastern edge of the remnant, which we interpret as a signature of interaction with a molecular cloud. We also exclude that narrow filaments emit the X-ray synchrotron radiation. Conclusions: Assuming that the very high energy γ-ray emission is associated with Kes 78, the lack of synchrotron emission rules out a leptonic origin. A hadronic origin is further supported by evidence of interaction of the remnant with a dense molecular cloud in its eastern limb.

  8. The XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS): the X-ray spectrum of type-1 AGN

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mateos, S.; Carrera, F. J.; Page, M. J.; Watson, M. G.; Corral, A.; Tedds, J. A.; Ebrero, J.; Krumpe, M.; Schwope, A.; Ceballos, M. T.

    2010-02-01

    Aims: We discuss the broad band X-ray properties of one of the largest samples of X-ray selected type-1 AGN to date (487 objects in total), drawn from the XMM-Newton Wide Angle Survey (XWAS). The objects presented in this work cover 2-10 keV (rest-frame) luminosities from 1042-1045 erg s-1 and are detected up to redshift 4. We constrain the overall properties of the broad band continuum, soft excess and X-ray absorption, along with their dependence on the X-ray luminosity and redshift. We discuss the implications for models of AGN emission. Methods: We fitted the observed 0.2-12 keV broad band spectra with various models to search for X-ray absorption and soft excess. The F-test was used with a significance threshold of 99% to statistically accept the detection of additional spectral components. Results: We constrained the mean spectral index of the broad band X-ray continuum to <Γ> = 1.96 ± 0.02 with intrinsic dispersion {σ< Γ >} = 0.27-0.02+0.01. The continuum becomes harder at faint fluxes and at higher redshifts and hard (2-10 keV) luminosities. The dependence of Γ with flux is likely due to undetected absorption rather than to spectral variation. We found a strong dependence of the detection efficiency of objects on the spectral shape. We expect this effect to have an impact on the measured mean continuum shapes of sources at different redshifts and luminosities. We detected excess absorption in ⪆3% of our objects, with rest-frame column densities a few ×1022 cm-2. The apparent mismatch between the optical classification and X-ray properties of these objects is a challenge for the standard orientation-based AGN unification model. We found that the fraction of objects with detected soft excess is 36%. Using a thermal model, we constrained the soft excess mean rest-frame temperature and intrinsic dispersion to kT 100 eV and σkT 34 eV. The origin of the soft excess as thermal emission from the accretion disk or Compton scattered disk emission is ruled

  9. NASA's astrophysics archives at the National Space Science Data Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vansteenberg, M. E.

    1992-01-01

    NASA maintains an archive facility for Astronomical Science data collected from NASA's missions at the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center. This archive was created to insure the science data collected by NASA would be preserved and useable in the future by the science community. Through 25 years of operation there are many lessons learned, from data collection procedures, archive preservation methods, and distribution to the community. This document presents some of these more important lessons, for example: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) in system development. Also addressed are some of the myths of archiving, such as 'scientists always know everything about everything', or 'it cannot possibly be that hard, after all simple data tech's do it'. There are indeed good reasons that a proper archive capability is needed by the astronomical community, the important question is how to use the existing expertise as well as the new innovative ideas to do the best job archiving this valuable science data.

  10. Mining Connected Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Michel, L.; Motch, C.; Pineau, F. X.

    2009-05-01

    As members of the Survey Science Consortium of the XMM-Newton mission the Strasbourg Observatory is in charge of the real-time cross-correlations of X-ray data with archival catalogs. We also are committed to provide a specific tools to handle these cross-correlations and propose identifications at other wavelengths. In order to do so, we developed a database generator (Saada) managing persitent links and supporting heterogeneous input datasets. This system allows to easily build an archive containing numerous and complex links between individual items [1]. It also offers a powerfull query engine able to select sources on the basis of the properties (existence, distance, colours) of the X-ray-archival associations. We present such a database in operation for the 2XMMi catalogue. This system is flexible enough to provide both a public data interface and a servicing interface which could be used in the framework of the Simbol-X ground segment.

  11. Enhancing the view of a million galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-06-01

    archive already includes radio maps that further extend the range of wavelengths covered by the survey and provide information on the powerful quasars, the centres of distant galaxies which are releasing large amounts of energy. Although the SXDS data are already a treasure trove of information, their scientific value will multiply when planned observations at wavelengths that complement the existing data are concluded. These include ultraviolet, infrared and sub-millimetre images as well as optical spectra from a wide range of international facilities. In five years, when the survey is scheduled to be complete, the SXDS should allow astronomers to place strong constraints on the cosmological models that determine the ultimate fate of the Universe, providing insights into both its past and future. Note to Editors The coordinated release issued by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan can be found at the following address: http://soaps.naoj.org More on the Subaru/XMM-Newton Deep Survey The SXDS is a project of international collaboration involving astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Tokyo, Japan, the University of Tokyo, Japan, the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Japan, the University of Durham, United Kingdom, and Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, working in close collaboration with the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre led by the University of Leicester, United Kingdom. For more information about the SXDS project and the data please visit: http://www.naoj.org/Science/SubaruProject/SDS Direct public access to the XMM-Newton data is also possible at: http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_data_acc/xsa/index.shtml More about XMM-Newton XMM-Newton can detect more X-ray sources than any previous satellite and is helping to solve many cosmic mysteries of the violent Universe, from black holes to the formation of galaxies. It was launched on 10 December 1999, using an Ariane-5 rocket from French Guiana. It is

  12. Telecommunications Handbook: Connecting to Newton.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Christopher; And Others

    This handbook was written by the Argonne National Laboratory for use with their electronic bulletin board system (BBS) called Newton. Newton is an educational BBS for use by teachers, students, and parents. Topics range from discussions of science fair topics to online question and answer sessions with scientists. Future capabilities will include…

  13. NR TrA (Nova TrA 2008) monitoring in support of XMM observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Waagen, Elizabeth O.

    2017-03-01

    Dr. Fred Walter (Stony Brook University) has requested AAVSO observers' assistance in monitoring NR TrA (Nova TrA 2008) in support of upcoming XMM Newton observations. The XMM observations will take place 2017 March 13 06:21 through March 14 10:34 UT. Walter writes: "NR TrA (Nova TrA 2008) is a compact eclipsing system with a 5.5 hour period. It was a normal Fe II nova that, upon reaching quiescence, took on the appearance of a super-soft source in the optical high state, which suggests an extremely high mass accretion rate. The optical spectrum is dominated by hot permitted lines of O VI, N V, C IV, and He II. Some nova-like variables have similar spectra, though generally without the hot emission lines. Primary eclipse is broad - nearly 40% of the orbit - and deeper at shorter wavelengths, which suggests the eclipse of a hot accretion disk. Primary eclipse depth is about 1 mag at V. There appears to be a shallow secondary eclipse.The primary aim [of the XMM observations] is to detect and characterize the eclipse at X-ray and UV wavelengths. We will obtain low cadence BVRI/JHK observations with SMARTS/Andicam. We request AAVSO support to obtain continuous photometric time series simultaneous with the XMM observation. Any filters are acceptable, but standard Johnson B, V or Cousins R, I are preferred. Clear filters are acceptable. Time resolution better than 5 minutes and uncertainties (outside of eclipse) <0.02 mag are preferred. The best ephemeris I have is: minimum light at JD 55956.822 + 0.219109E. This is based on data from 2013-2015." Finder charts with sequence may be created using the AAVSO Variable Star Plotter (https://www.aavso.org/vsp). Observations should be submitted to the AAVSO International Database. See full Alert Notice for more details.

  14. The physical origin of the X-ray emission from SN 1987A

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miceli, M.; Orlando, S.; Petruk, O.

    2017-10-01

    We revisit the spectral analysis of the set of archive XMM-Newton observations of SN 1987A through our 3-D hydrodynamic model describing the whole evolution from the onset of the supernova to the full remnant development. For the first time the spectral analysis accounts for the single observations and for the evolution of the system self-consistently. We adopt a forward modeling approach which allows us to directly synthesize, from the model, X-ray spectra and images in different energy bands. We fold the synthetic observables through the XMM-Newton instrumental response and directly compare models and actual data. We find that our simulation provides an excellent fit to the data, by reproducing simultaneously X-ray fluxes, spectral features, and morphology of SN 1987A at all evolutionary stages. Our analysis enables us to obtain a deep insight on the physical origin of the observed multi-thermal emission, by revealing the contribution of shocked surrounding medium, dense clumps of the circumstellar ring, and ejecta to the total emission. We finally provide predictions for future observations (to be performed with XMM-Newton in the next future and with the forthcoming Athena X-ray telescope in approximately 10 years), showing the growing contribution of the ejecta X-ray emission.

  15. Star formation history of Canis Major OB1. II. A bimodal X-ray population revealed by XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santos-Silva, T.; Gregorio-Hetem, J.; Montmerle, T.; Fernandes, B.; Stelzer, B.

    2018-02-01

    Aims: The Canis Major OB1 Association has an intriguing scenario of star formation, especially in the region called Canis Major R1 (CMa R1) traditionally assigned to a reflection nebula, but in reality an ionized region. This work is focussed on the young stellar population associated with CMa R1, for which our previous results from ROSAT, optical, and near-infrared data had revealed two stellar groups with different ages, suggesting a possible mixing of populations originated from distinct star formation episodes. Methods: The X-ray data allow the detected sources to be characterized according to hardness ratios, light curves, and spectra. Estimates of mass and age were obtained from the 2MASS catalogue and used to define a complete subsample of stellar counterparts for statistical purposes. Results: A catalogue of 387 XMM-Newton sources is provided, of which 78% are confirmed as members or probable members of the CMa R1 association. Flares (or similar events) were observed for 13 sources and the spectra of 21 bright sources could be fitted by a thermal plasma model. Mean values of fits parameters were used to estimate X-ray luminosities. We found a minimum value of log(LX [erg/s] ) = 29.43, indicating that our sample of low-mass stars (M⋆ ≤ 0.5 M⊙), which are faint X-ray emitters, is incomplete. Among the 250 objects selected as our complete subsample (defining our "best sample"), 171 are found to the east of the cloud, near Z CMa and dense molecular gas, of which 50% of them are young (<5 Myr) and 30% are older (>10 Myr). The opposite happens to the west, near GU CMa, in areas lacking molecular gas: among 79 objects, 30% are young and 50% are older. These findings confirm that a first episode of distributed star formation occurred in the whole studied region 10 Myr ago and dispersed the molecular gas, while a second, localized episode (<5 Myr) took place in the regions where molecular gas is still present.

  16. Finding "Science" in the Archives of the Spanish Monarchy.

    PubMed

    Portuondo, Maria M

    2016-03-01

    This essay explores the history of several archives that house the early modern records of Spanish imperial science. The modern "archival turn" urges us to think critically about archives and to recognize in the history of these collections an embedded, often implicit, history that--unless properly recognized, acknowledged, and understood--can distort the histories we are trying to tell. This essay uses a curious episode in the history of science to illustrate how Spanish archives relate to each other and shape the collections they house. During the late eighteenth century a young navy officer, Martín Fernández de Navarrete, was dispatched to all the principal archives of the Spanish monarchy with a peculiar mission: he was to search for evidence that the Spanish in fact had a scientific tradition. This essay uses his mission to explain how the original purpose of an archive--the archive's telos--may persist as a strong and potentially deterministic force in the work of historians of science. In the case of the archives discussed, this telos was shaped by issues as wide ranging as defending a nation's reputation against claims of colonial neglect and as idiosyncratic as an archivist's selection criteria.

  17. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Update of INTEGRAL/IBIS AGN catalogue (Malizia+, 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malizia, A.; Landi, R.; Molina, M.; Bassani, L.; Bazzano, A.; Bird, A. J.; Ubertini, P.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper we present the X-ray and optical follow-up work on 107 new AGN recently detected by INTEGRAL. Luckily, we have been able to obtain full X-ray coverage of the entire sample making use of data from Swift/XRT, Newton-XMM and NuSTAR archives or through Swift/XRT follow up observations triggered by us. (2 data files).

  18. Detailed Spectral Analysis of the 260 ks XMM-Newton Data of 1E 1207.4-5209 and Significance of a 2.1 keV Absorption Feature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mori, Kaya; Chonko, James C.; Hailey, Charles J.

    2005-10-01

    We have reanalyzed the 260 ks XMM-Newton observation of 1E 1207.4-5209. There are several significant improvements over previous work. First, a much broader range of physically plausible spectral models was used. Second, we have used a more rigorous statistical analysis. The standard F-distribution was not employed, but rather the exact finite statistics F-distribution was determined by Monte Carlo simulations. This approach was motivated by the recent work of Protassov and coworkers and Freeman and coworkers. They demonstrated that the standard F-distribution is not even asymptotically correct when applied to assess the significance of additional absorption features in a spectrum. With our improved analysis we do not find a third and fourth spectral feature in 1E 1207.4-5209 but only the two broad absorption features previously reported. Two additional statistical tests, one line model dependent and the other line model independent, confirmed our modified F-test analysis. For all physically plausible continuum models in which the weak residuals are strong enough to fit, the residuals occur at the instrument Au M edge. As a sanity check we confirmed that the residuals are consistent in strength and position with the instrument Au M residuals observed in 3C 273.

  19. A Robust, Low-Cost Virtual Archive for Science Data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lynnes, Christopher; Vollmer, Bruce

    2005-01-01

    Despite their expense tape silos are still often the only affordable option for petabytescale science data archives, particularly when other factors such as data reliability, floor space, power and cooling load are accounted for. However, the complexity, management software, hardware reliability and access latency of tape silos make online data storage ever more attractive. Drastic reductions in low-cost mass-market PC disk drivers help to make this more affordable (approx. 1$/GB), but are challenging to scale to the petabyte range and of questionable reliability for archival use, On the other hand, if much of the science archive could be "virtualized", i.e., produced on demand when requested by users, we would need store only a fraction of the data online, perhaps bringing an online-only system into in affordable range. Radiance data from the satellite-borne Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument provides a good opportunity for such a virtual archive: the raw data amount to 140 GB/day, but these are small relative to the 550 GB/day making up the radiance products. These data are routinely processed as inputs for geophysical parameter products and then archived on tape at the Goddard Earth Sciences Distributed Active Archive (GES DAAC) for distributing to users. Virtualizing them would be an immediate and signifcant reduction in the amount of data being stored in the tape archives and provide more customizable products. A prototype of such a virtual archive is being developed to prove the concept and develop ways of incorporating the robustness that a science data archive requires.

  20. Origin of central abundances in the hot intra-cluster medium. I. Individual and average abundance ratios from XMM-Newton EPIC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mernier, F.; de Plaa, J.; Pinto, C.; Kaastra, J. S.; Kosec, P.; Zhang, Y.-Y.; Mao, J.; Werner, N.

    2016-08-01

    The hot intra-cluster medium (ICM) is rich in metals, which are synthesised by supernovae (SNe) explosions and accumulate over time into the deep gravitational potential well of clusters of galaxies. Since most of the elements visible in X-rays are formed by type Ia (SNIa) and/or core-collapse (SNcc) supernovae, measuring their abundances gives us direct information on the nucleosynthesis products of billions of SNe since the epoch of the star formation peak (z ~ 2-3). In this study, we use the EPIC and RGS instruments on board XMM-Newton to measure the abundances of nine elements (O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, Ar, Ca, Fe, and Ni) from a sample of 44 nearby cool-core galaxy clusters, groups, and elliptical galaxies. We find that the Fe abundance shows a large scatter (~20-40%) over the sample, within 0.2r500 and especially 0.05r500. Unlike the absolute Fe abundance, the abundance ratios (X/Fe) are uniform over the considered temperature range (~0.6-8 keV) and with a limited scatter. In addition to an unprecedented treatment of systematic uncertainties, we provide the most accurate abundance ratios measured so far in the ICM, including Cr/Fe and Mn/Fe which we firmly detected (>4σ with MOS and pn independently). We find that Cr/Fe, Mn/Fe, and Ni/Fe differ significantly from the proto-solar values. However, the large uncertainties in the proto-solar abundances prevent us from making a robust comparison between the local and the intra-cluster chemical enrichments. We also note that, interestingly, and despite the large net exposure time (~4.5 Ms) of our dataset, no line emission feature is seen around ~3.5 keV.

  1. There is grandeur in this view of Newton: Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton and Victorian conceptions of scientific virtue.

    PubMed

    Bellon, Richard

    2014-01-01

    For Victorian men of science, the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century represented a moral awakening. Great theoretical triumphs of inductive science flowed directly from a philosophical spirit that embraced the virtues of self-discipline, courage, patience and humility. Isaac Newton exemplified this union of moral and intellectual excellence. This, at least, was the story crafted by scientific leaders like David Brewster, Thomas Chalmers, John Herschel, Adam Sedgwick and William Whewell. Not everyone accepted this reading of history. Evangelicals who decried the 'materialism' of mainstream science assigned a different meaning to Newton's legacy on behalf of their 'scriptural' alternative. High-church critics of science like John Henry Newman, on the other hand, denied that Newton's secular achievements carried any moral significance at all. These debates over Newtonian standards of philosophical behavior had a decisive influence on Charles Darwin as he developed his theory of evolution by natural selection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Interoperability at ESA Heliophysics Science Archives: IVOA, HAPI and other implementations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez-Garcia, B.; Cook, J. P.; Perez, H.; Fernandez, M.; De Teodoro, P.; Osuna, P.; Arnaud, M.; Arviset, C.

    2017-12-01

    The data of ESA heliophysics science missions are preserved at the ESAC Science Data Centre (ESDC). The ESDC aims for the long term preservation of those data, which includes missions such as Ulysses, Soho, Proba-2, Cluster, Double Star, and in the future, Solar Orbiter. Scientists have access to these data through web services, command line and graphical user interfaces for each of the corresponding science mission archives. The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) provides technical standards that allow interoperability among different systems that implement them. By adopting some IVOA standards, the ESA heliophysics archives are able to share their data with those tools and services that are VO-compatible. Implementation of those standards can be found in the existing archives: Ulysses Final Archive (UFA) and Soho Science Archive (SSA). They already make use of VOTable format definition and Simple Application Messaging Protocol (SAMP). For re-engineered or new archives, the implementation of services through Table Access Protocol (TAP) or Universal Worker Service (UWS) will leverage this interoperability. This will be the case for the Proba-2 Science Archive (P2SA) and the Solar Orbiter Archive (SOAR). We present here which IVOA standards were already used by the ESA Heliophysics archives in the past and the work on-going.

  3. Science with Constellation-X, Choice of Instrumentation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hornscheimeier, Ann; White, Nicholas; Tananbaum, Harvey; Garcia, Michael; Bookbinder, Jay; Petre, Robert; Cottam, Jean

    2007-01-01

    The Constellation X-ray Observatory is one of the two Beyond Einstein Great Observatories and will provide a 100-fold increase in collecting area in high spectral resolving power X-ray instruments over the Chandra and XMM-Newton gratings instruments. The mission has four main science objectives which drive the requirements for the mission. This contribution to the Garmire celebration conference describes these four science areas: Black Holes, Dark Energy, Missing Baryons, and the Neutron Star Equation of State as well as the requirements flow-down that give rise to the choice of instrumentation and implementation for Constellation-X. As we show, each of these science areas place complementary constraints on mission performance parameters such as collecting area, spectral resolving power, timing resolution, and field of view. The mission's capabilities will enable a great breadth of science, and its resources will be open to the community through its General Observer program.

  4. The LCOGT Science Archive and Data Pipeline

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lister, Tim; Walker, Z.; Ciardi, D.; Gelino, C. R.; Good, J.; Laity, A.; Swain, M.

    2013-01-01

    Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) is building and deploying a world-wide network of optical telescopes dedicated to time-domain astronomy. In the past year, we have deployed and commissioned four new 1m telescopes at McDonald Observatory, Texas and at CTIO, Chile, with more to come at SAAO, South Africa and Siding Spring Observatory, Australia. To handle these new data sources coming from the growing LCOGT network, and to serve them to end users, we have constructed a new data pipeline and Science Archive. We describe the new LCOGT pipeline, currently under development and testing, which makes use of the ORAC-DR automated recipe-based data reduction pipeline and illustrate some of the new data products. We also present the new Science Archive, which is being developed in partnership with the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) and show some of the new features the Science Archive provides.

  5. The ExoMars Rover Science Archive: Status and Plans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, D.; Lim, T.; Metcalfe, L.

    2017-09-01

    The ExoMars program is a co-operation between ESA and Roscosmos comprising two missions: the first, launched on 14 March 2016, included the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander; the second, due for launch in 2020, will be a Rover and Surface Platform (RSP). The ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform deliveries will be among the first data in the PSA to be formatted according to the new PDS4 Standards, and will be the first rover data to be hosted within the archive at all. The archiving and management of the science data to be returned from ExoMars will require a significant development effort for the new Planetary Science Archive (PSA). This presentation will outline the current plans for archiving of the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform science data.

  6. The European HST Science Data Archive. [and Data Management Facility (DMF)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pasian, F.; Pirenne, B.; Albrecht, R.; Russo, G.

    1993-01-01

    The paper describes the European HST Science Data Archive. Particular attention is given to the flow from the HST spacecraft to the Science Data Archive at the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF); the archiving system at the ST-ECF, including the hardware and software system structure; the operations at the ST-ECF and differences with the Data Management Facility; and the current developments. A diagram of the logical structure and data flow of the system managing the European HST Science Data Archive is included.

  7. New Developments At The Science Archives Of The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berriman, G. Bruce

    2018-06-01

    The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at Caltech/IPAC is the science center for NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program and as such, NExScI operates three scientific archives: the NASA Exoplanet Archive (NEA) and Exoplanet Follow-up Observation Program Website (ExoFOP), and the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA).The NASA Exoplanet Archive supports research and mission planning by the exoplanet community by operating a service that provides confirmed and candidate planets, numerous project and contributed data sets and integrated analysis tools. The ExoFOP provides an environment for exoplanet observers to share and exchange data, observing notes, and information regarding the Kepler, K2, and TESS candidates. KOA serves all raw science and calibration observations acquired by all active and decommissioned instruments at the W. M. Keck Observatory, as well as reduced data sets contributed by Keck observers.In the coming years, the NExScI archives will support a series of major endeavours allowing flexible, interactive analysis of the data available at the archives. These endeavours exploit a common infrastructure based upon modern interfaces such as JuypterLab and Python. The first service will enable reduction and analysis of precision radial velocity data from the HIRES Keck instrument. The Exoplanet Archive is developing a JuypterLab environment based on the HIRES PRV interactive environment. Additionally, KOA is supporting an Observatory initiative to develop modern, Python based pipelines, and as part of this work, it has delivered a NIRSPEC reduction pipeline. The ensemble of pipelines will be accessible through the same environments.

  8. Social Science Data Archives and Libraries: A View to the Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, Barton M.

    1982-01-01

    Discusses factors militating against integration of social science data archives and libraries in near future, noting usage of materials, access requisite skills of librarians, economic stability of archives, existing structures which manage social science data archives. Role of librarians, data access tools, and cataloging of machine-readable…

  9. Discovery of the Candidate Off-nuclear Ultrasoft Hyper-luminous X-Ray Source 3XMM J141711.1+522541

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Dacheng; Carrasco, Eleazar R.; Webb, Natalie A.; Irwin, Jimmy A.; Dupke, Renato; Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Ramirez-Ruiz, Enrico; Strader, Jay; Homan, Jeroen; Barret, Didier; Godet, Olivier

    2016-04-01

    We report the discovery of an off-nuclear ultrasoft hyper-luminous X-ray source candidate 3XMM J141711.1+522541 in the inactive S0 galaxy SDSS J141711.07+522540.8 (z = 0.41827, dL = 2.3 Gpc) in the Extended Groth Strip. It is located at a projected offset of ˜1.″0 (5.2 kpc) from the nucleus of the galaxy and was serendipitously detected in five XMM-Newton observations in 2000 July. Two observations have enough counts and can be fitted with a standard thermal disk with an apparent inner disk temperature {{kT}}{MCD}˜ 0.13 {{keV}} and a 0.28-14.2 keV unabsorbed luminosity LX ˜ 4 × 1043 erg s-1 in the source rest frame. The source was still detected in three Chandra observations in 2002 August, with similarly ultrasoft but fainter spectra (kTMCD ˜ 0.17 keV, LX ˜ 0.5 × 1043 erg s-1). It was not detected in later observations, including two by Chandra in 2005 October, one by XMM-Newton in 2014 January, and two by Chandra in 2014 September-October, implying a long-term flux variation factor of >14. Therefore the source could be a transient with an outburst in 2000-2002. It has a faint optical counterpart candidate, with apparent magnitudes of mF606W = 26.3 AB mag and mF814W = 25.5 AB mag in 2004 December (implying an absolute V-band magnitude of ˜-15.9 AB mag). We discuss various explanations for the source and find that it is best explained as a massive black hole (BH) embedded in the nucleus of a possibly stripped satellite galaxy, with the X-ray outburst due to tidal disruption of a surrounding star by the BH. The BH mass is ˜105 M⊙, assuming the peak X-ray luminosity at around the Eddington limit.

  10. Broadband X-ray spectra of the ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 observed with NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Grefenstette, B. W.

    2014-09-20

    We present results from the coordinated broadband X-ray observations of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 performed by NuSTAR, XMM-Newton, and Suzaku in late 2012. These observations provide the first high-quality spectra of Holmberg IX X-1 above 10 keV to date, extending the X-ray coverage of this remarkable source up to ∼30 keV. Broadband observations were undertaken at two epochs, between which Holmberg IX X-1 exhibited both flux and strong spectral variability, increasing in luminosity from L {sub X} = (1.90 ± 0.03) × 10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1} to L {sub X} = (3.35 ± 0.03) ×more » 10{sup 40} erg s{sup –1}. Neither epoch exhibits a spectrum consistent with emission from the standard low/hard accretion state seen in Galactic black hole binaries, which would have been expected if Holmberg IX X-1 harbors a truly massive black hole accreting at substantially sub-Eddington accretion rates. The NuSTAR data confirm that the curvature observed previously in the 3-10 keV bandpass does represent a true spectral cutoff. During each epoch, the spectrum appears to be dominated by two optically thick thermal components, likely associated with an accretion disk. The spectrum also shows some evidence for a nonthermal tail at the highest energies, which may further support this scenario. The available data allow for either of the two thermal components to dominate the spectral evolution, although both scenarios require highly nonstandard behavior for thermal accretion disk emission.« less

  11. Evidence of Black Hole Spin in GX 339-4: XMM-Newton/EPIC-pn and RXTE Spectroscopy of the Very High State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, J. M.; Fabian, A. C.; Reynolds, C. S.; Nowak, M. A.; Homan, J.; Freyberg, M. J.; Ehle, M.; Belloni, T.; Wijnands, R.; van der Klis, M.; Charles, P. A.; Lewin, W. H. G.

    2004-05-01

    We have analyzed spectra of the Galactic black hole GX 339-4 obtained through simultaneous 76 ks XMM-Newton/EPIC-pn and 10 ks Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer observations during a bright phase of its 2002-2003 outburst. An extremely skewed, relativistic Fe Kα emission line and ionized disk reflection spectrum are revealed in these spectra. Self-consistent models for the Fe Kα emission-line profile and disk reflection spectrum rule out an inner disk radius compatible with a Schwarzschild black hole at more than the 8 σ level of confidence. The best-fit inner disk radius of (2-3)rg suggests that GX 339-4 harbors a black hole with a>=0.8-0.9 (where rg=GM/c2 and a=cJ/GM2, and assuming that reflection in the plunging region is relatively small). This confirms indications for black hole spin based on a Chandra spectrum obtained later in the outburst. The emission line and reflection spectrum also rule out a standard power-law disk emissivity in GX 339-4 a broken power-law form with enhanced emissivity inside ~6rg gives improved fits at more than the 8 σ level of confidence. The extreme red wing of the line and the steep emissivity require a centrally concentrated source of hard X-rays that can strongly illuminate the inner disk. Hard X-ray emission from the base of a jet-enhanced by gravitational light-bending effects-could create the concentrated hard X-ray emission; this process may be related to magnetic connections between the black hole and the inner disk. We discuss these results within the context of recent results from analyses of XTE J1650-500 and MCG -6-30-15, and of models for the inner accretion flow environment around black holes.

  12. Pre-Service Science Teachers' PCK: Inconsistency of Pre-Service Teachers' Predictions and Student Learning Difficulties in Newton's Third Law

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhou, Shaona; Wang, Yanlin; Zhang, Chunbin

    2016-01-01

    There is widespread agreement that science learning always builds upon students' existing ideas and that science teachers should possess knowledge of learners. This study aims at investigating pre-service science teachers' knowledge of student misconceptions and difficulties, a crucial component of PCK, on Newton's Third Law. A questionnaire was…

  13. X-ray Luminosity and Absorption Column Fluctuations in the H2O Maser Galaxy NGC 4258 from Weeks to Years

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Argon, A.

    2004-07-30

    The authors report monitoring of the 0.3-10 keV spectrum of NGC 4258 with the XMM-Newton observatory at five epochs over 1.5 years. They also report reprocessing of an overlapping four epoch series of archival Chandra observations (0.5-10 keV). By including earlier ASCA and Beppo-SAX observations, they present a new, nine year time-series of models fit to the X-ray spectrum of NGC 4258. They model the Chandra and XMM-Newton data self-consistently with partially absorbed, hard power-law, soft thermal plasma, and soft power-law components. Over the nine years, the photo-electric absorbing column ({approx} 10{sup 23} cm{sup -2}) did not vary detectably, exceptmore » for a {approx} 40% drop between two ASCA epochs separated by 3 years (in 1993 and 1996) and a {approx} 60% rise between two XMM-Newton epochs separated by just 5 months (in 2001 and 2002). In contrast, factor of 2-3 changes are seen in absorbed flux on the timescale of years. These are uncorrelated with changes in absorbing column and indicative of central engine variability. The most rapid change in luminosity (5-10 keV) that the authors detect (with XMM-Newton and Chandra) is on the order of 30% over 19 days. The warped disk that is a known source of H{sub 2}O maser emission in NGC 4258 is believed to cross the line of sight to the central engine. They propose that the variations in absorbing column arise from inhomogeneities in the rotating disk, as they sweep across the line of sight. They estimate that the inhomogeneities are {approx} 10{sup 15} cm in size.« less

  14. Observatory Science with the NICER X-ray Timing Instrument

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Remillard, Ronald A.

    2016-04-01

    This presentation is submitted on behalf of the NICER Observatory Science Working Group. NICER will be deployed on the International Space Station later in 2016. The X-ray sensitivity spans 0.2-12 keV, with CCD-like spectral resolution, low background rates, and unprecedented timing accuracy. A Guest Observer (GO) Program has been approved by NASA as one of the proposed Science Enhancement Options, contingent on NICER meeting its Prime Mission Science Objectives. The NICER Science team will observe limited Observatory Science targets (i.e., sources other than neutron stars) in year 1, and GO observations will constitute 50% of the exposures in year 2. Thereafter, NICER will compete for continuation via the NASA Senior Review process. NICER Instrument performance is compared with Missions such as XMM-Newton and RXTE. We briefly highlight the expected themes for Observatory Science relating to accreting black holes on all mass scales, magnetic CVs, active stars, and clusters of galaxies.

  15. The Rosetta Science Archive: Status and Plans for Completing and Enhancing the Archive Content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, D.; Barthelemy, M.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; O'Rourke, L.; Taylor, M.

    2017-09-01

    On 30 September 2016, Rosetta's signal flat-lined, confirming that the spacecraft had completed its incredible mission by landing on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Although this marked an end to the spacecraft's active operations, intensive work is still on-going with instrument teams preparing their final science data increments for delivery and ingestion into ESA's Planetary Science Archive (PSA). In addition to this, ESA is establishing contracts with a number of instrument teams to enhance and improve their data and documentation in an effort to provide the best long- term archive possible for the Rosetta mission. This presentation will outline the current status of the Rosetta archive, as well as highlighting some of the 'enhanced archiving' activities planned and underway with the various instrument teams on Rosetta to ensure the scientific legacy of the mission.

  16. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Christodoulou, Dimitris M.; Laycock, Silas G. T.; Yang, Jun

    We have combined the published observations of high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) pulsars in the Magellanic Clouds with a new processing of the complete archival data sets from the XMM-Newton and Chandra observatories in an attempt to trace the lowest propeller line below which accretion to polar caps is inhibited by the centrifugal force and the pulsations from the most weakly magnetized pulsars cease. Previously published data reveal that some of the faster-spinning pulsars with spin periods of P {sub S} < 12 s, detected at relatively low X-ray luminosities L {sub X} , appear to define such a line inmore » the P {sub S} – L {sub X} diagram, characterized by a magnetic moment of μ = 3 × 10{sup 29} G cm{sup 3}. This value implies the presence of surface magnetic fields of B ≥ 3 × 10{sup 11} G in the compact objects of this class. Only a few quiescent HMXBs are found below the propeller line: LXP4.40 and SXP4.78, for which XMM-Newton and Chandra null detections respectively placed firm upper limits on their X-ray fluxes in deep quiescence; and A0538-66, for which many sub-Eddington detections have never measured any pulsations. On the other hand, the data from the XMM-Newton and Chandra archives show clearly that, during routine observation cycles, several sources have been detected below the propeller line in extremely faint, nonpulsating states that can be understood as the result of weak magnetospheric emission when accretion to the poles is centrifugally stalled or severely diminished. We also pay attention to the anomalous X-ray pulsar CXOU J010043.1-721134 that was reported in HMXB surveys. Its pulsations and locations near and above the propeller line indicate that this pulsar could be accreting from a fossil disk.« less

  17. The Rosetta Science Archive: Status and Plans for Enhancing the Archive Content

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, David; Barthelemy, Maud; Besse, Sebastien; Fraga, Diego; Grotheer, Emmanuel; O'Rourke, Laurence; Taylor, Matthew; Vallat, Claire

    2017-04-01

    On 30 September 2016, Rosetta completed its incredible mission by landing on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Although this marked an end to the spacecraft's active operations, intensive work is still ongoing with instrument teams preparing their final science data deliveries for ingestion into ESA's Planetary Science Archive (PSA). In addition, ESA is establishing contracts with some instrument teams to enhance their data and documentation in an effort to provide the best long-term archive possible for the Rosetta mission. Currently, the majority of teams have delivered all of their data from the nominal mission (end of 2015), and are working on their remaining increments from the 1-year mission extension. The aim is to complete the nominal archiving with data from the complete mission by the end of this year, when a full mission archive review will be held. This review will assess the complete data holdings from Rosetta and ensure that the archive is ready for the long-term. With the resources from the operational mission coming to an end, ESA has established a number of 'enhanced archiving' contracts to ensure that the best possible data are delivered to the archive before instrument teams disband. Updates are focused on key aspects of an instrument's calibration or the production of higher level data / information, and are therefore specific to each instrument's needs. These contracts are currently being kicked off, and will run for various lengths depending upon the activities to be undertaken. The full 'archive enhancement' process will run until September 2019, when the post operations activities for Rosetta will end. Within these contracts, most instrument teams will work on providing a Science User Guide for their data, as well as updating calibrations. Several teams will also be delivering higher level and derived products. For example, the VIRTIS team will be updating both their spectral and geometrical calibrations, and will aim to

  18. X-ray and optical observations of four polars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Worpel, H.; Schwope, A. D.; Granzer, T.; Reinsch, K.; Schwarz, R.; Traulsen, I.

    2016-08-01

    Aims: We investigate the temporal and spectral behaviour of four polar cataclysmic variables from the infrared to X-ray regimes, refine our knowledge of the physical parameters of these systems at different accretion rates, and search for a possible excess of soft X-ray photons. Methods: We obtained and analysed four XMM-Newton X-ray observations of three of the sources, two of them discovered with the SDSS and one in the RASS. The X-ray data were complemented by optical photometric and spectroscopic observations and, for two sources, archival Swift observations. Results: SDSSJ032855.00+052254.2 was X-ray bright in two XMM-Newton and two Swift observations, and shows transitions from high and low accretion states on a timescale of a few months. The source shows no significant soft excess. We measured the magnetic field strength at the main accreting pole to be 39 MG and the inclination to be 45° ≤ I ≤ 77°, and we refined the long-term ephemeris. SDSSJ133309.20+143706.9 was X-ray faint. We measured a faint phase X-ray flux and plasma temperature for this source, which seems to spend almost all of its time accreting at a low level. Its inclination is less than about 76°. 1RXSJ173006.4+033813 was X-ray bright in the XMM-Newton observation. Its spectrum contained a modest soft blackbody component, not luminous enough to be considered a significant soft excess. We inferred a magnetic field strength at the main accreting pole of 20 to 25 MG, and that the inclination is less than 77° and probably less than 63°. V808 Aur, also known as CSS081231:J071126+440405, was X-ray faint in the Swift observation, but there is nonetheless strong evidence for bright and faint phases in X-rays and perhaps in UV. Residual X-ray flux from the faint phase is difficult to explain by thermal emission from the white dwarf surface, or by accretion onto the second pole. We present a revised distance estimate of 250 pc. Conclusions: The three systems we were able to study in detail

  19. Discovery Science: Newton All around You.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prigo, Robert; Humphrey, Gregg

    1993-01-01

    Presents activities for helping elementary students learn about Newton's third law of motion. Several activity cards demonstrate the concept of the law of action and reaction. The activities require only inexpensive materials that can be found around the house. (SM)

  20. ESA Planetary Science Archive Architecture and Data Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Arviset, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Besse, S.; Barthelemy, M.; de Marchi, G.; Docasal, R.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; Heather, D.; Laantee, C.; Lim, T.; Macfarlane, A.; Martinez, S.; Montero, A.; Osinde, J.; Rios, C.; Saiz, J.; Vallat, C.

    2018-04-01

    The Planetary Science Archive is the European Space Agency repository of science data from all planetary science and exploration missions. This paper presents PSA's content, architecture, user interfaces, and the relation between the PSA and IPDA.

  1. Data Management in the Euclid Science Archive System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Teodoro, P.; Nieto, S.; Altieri, B.

    2017-06-01

    Euclid is the ESA M2 mission and a milestone in the understanding of the geometry of the Universe. In total Euclid will produce up to 26 PB per year of observations. The Science Archive Systems (SAS) belongs to the Euclid Archive System (EAS) that sits in the core of the Euclid Science Ground Segment (SGS). The SAS is being built at the ESAC Science Data Centre (ESDC), which is responsible for the development and operations of the scientific archives for the Astronomy, Planetary and Heliophysics missions of ESA. The SAS is focused on the needs of the scientific community and is intended to provide access to the most valuable scientific metadata from the Euclid mission. In this paper we describe the architectural design of the system, implementation progress and the main challenges from the data management point of view in the building of the SAS.

  2. "XMM/RXTE Observations of GX 339-4"

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nowak, M. A.; Corbel, S.; Fender, R.; Wilms, J.; Kuster, M.; Bailyn, C.; Coppi, P.

    2005-01-01

    In March 2003, we performed two simultaneous XMM/RXTE observations of the black hole candidate GX 339-4. Our goal is to compare these data to our prior simultaneous RXTE/ASCA observations (Nowak, Wilms & Dove, 2002). These observations were carried out in timing mode, as opposed to burst mode, and are more complex to analyze than we expected. Specifically, the data suffered from a number of telemetry dropouts (in fact, the standard archive processing failed on these data, and more than a year passed from the time of the observations before the data was delivered to us). Furthermore, the core of the EPIC PSF suffers slightly from pileup and gain shifts. We continue to work on this data, however, and anticipate publishing it within the next academic year. Here we highlight our ongoing work and outline our plans for publication.

  3. ESA unveils its big XMM spacecraft

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1998-02-01

    XMM, the X-ray Multi-Mirror mission, is due do be lanched in 1999. It is a European conception with innovative telescopes. XMM will revolutionize the study of X-rays coming from the Universe, by harvesting far more X-rays per hour than any previous mission. Its enormous capacity will enable astronomers to analyse many strong sources of cosmic X-rays very quickly, and to discover and characterize many faint sources previously beyond their reach. As the most popular and competitive branch of space astronomy, X-ray astronomy reveals special places in the Universe where very high temperatures or violent forces generate energetic radiation. These sources include black holes, exploding stars, paris of stars orbiting very close together, and the central region of clusters of galaxies. XMM's optical monitor, viewing the scenes by visible light, will help in the interpretations. The combination of X-ray telescopes and optical monitoring should be well-suited to tracking down gamma-ray bursters - extraordinary explosions in space that mystify the astronomers. Full descriptions of the X-ray sources will depend on precise spectral analysis of the relative intensities of X-rays of different energies, including the signatures of identifiable chemical elements. Such spectral analysis is XMM's task, using instruments of the highest quality fed by the remarkable telescopes. As seen at ESTEC today, the spacecraft stands upside down. Its front end, where the mirror modules of the X-ray telescopes pass through the satellite's service module, is closest to the ground. At the top is the section containing detectors at the focus of the X-ray telescopes. Surmounting the assembly, a pair of cones will carry heat away from the detectors. XMM's appearance is, though, dominated by the long tube that spans the telescope's focal length, and by the black thermal blanket that will protect the spacecraft from unequal heating on the sunny and shaded sides. A miracle of telescope engineering « You

  4. Application of a XMM-Newton EPIC Monte Carlo to Analysis And Interpretation of Data for Abell 1689, RXJ0658-55 And the Centaurus Clusters of Galaxies

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Andersson, Karl E.; /Stockholm U. /SLAC; Peterson, J.R.

    2007-04-17

    We propose a new Monte Carlo method to study extended X-ray sources with the European Photon Imaging Camera (EPIC) aboard XMM Newton. The Smoothed Particle Inference (SPI) technique, described in a companion paper, is applied here to the EPIC data for the clusters of galaxies Abell 1689, Centaurus and RXJ 0658-55 (the ''bullet cluster''). We aim to show the advantages of this method of simultaneous spectral-spatial modeling over traditional X-ray spectral analysis. In Abell 1689 we confirm our earlier findings about structure in temperature distribution and produce a high resolution temperature map. We also confirm our findings about velocity structuremore » within the gas. In the bullet cluster, RXJ 0658-55, we produce the highest resolution temperature map ever to be published of this cluster allowing us to trace what looks like the motion of the bullet in the cluster. We even detect a south to north temperature gradient within the bullet itself. In the Centaurus cluster we detect, by dividing up the luminosity of the cluster in bands of gas temperatures, a striking feature to the north-east of the cluster core. We hypothesize that this feature is caused by a subcluster left over from a substantial merger that slightly displaced the core. We conclude that our method is very powerful in determining the spatial distributions of plasma temperatures and very useful for systematic studies in cluster structure.« less

  5. XMM-Newton X-ray spectroscopy of the high-mass X-ray binary 4U 1700-37 at low flux

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Meer, A.; Kaper, L.; di Salvo, T.; Méndez, M.; van der Klis, M.; Barr, P.; Trams, N. R.

    2005-03-01

    We present results of a monitoring campaign of the high-mass X-ray binary system 4U 1700-37/HD 153919, carried out with XMM-Newton in February 2001. The system was observed at four orbital phase intervals, covering 37% of one 3.41-day orbit. The lightcurve includes strong flares, commonly observed in this source. We focus on three epochs in which the data are not affected by photon pile up: the eclipse, the eclipse egress and a low-flux interval in the lightcurve around orbital phase φ ˜ 0.25. The high-energy part of the continuum is modelled as a direct plus a scattered component, each represented by a power law with identical photon index (α ˜ 1.4), but with different absorption columns. We show that during the low-flux interval the continuum is strongly reduced, probably due to a reduction of the accretion rate onto the compact object. A soft excess is detected in all spectra, consistent with either another continuum component originating in the outskirts of the system or a blend of emission lines. Many fluorescence emission lines from near-neutral species and discrete recombination lines from He- and H-like species are detected during eclipse and egress. The fluorescence Fe Kα line at 6.4 keV is very prominent; a second Kα line is detected at slightly higher energies (up to 6.7 keV) and a Kβ line at 7.1 keV. In the low-flux interval the Fe Kα line at 6.4 keV is strongly (factor ˜ 30) reduced in strength. In eclipse, the Fe Kβ/Kα ratio is consistent with a value of 0.13. In egress we initially measure a higher ratio, which can be explained by a shift in energy of the Fe K-edge to ~ 7.15 keV, which is consistent with moderately ionised iron, rather than neutral iron, as expected for the stellar wind medium. The detection of recombination lines during eclipse indicates the presence of an extended ionised region surrounding the compact object. The observed increase in strength of some emission lines corresponding to higher values of the ionisation

  6. Interoperability In The New Planetary Science Archive (PSA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rios, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Docasal, R.; Macfarlane, A. J.; Gonzalez, J.; Arviset, C.; Grotheer, E.; Besse, S.; Martinez, S.; Heather, D.; De Marchi, G.; Lim, T.; Fraga, D.; Barthelemy, M.

    2015-12-01

    As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, there is a greater need to provide interoperability with software and applications that are commonly being used globally. For this purpose, the development of the new Planetary Science Archive (PSA), by the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) Science Data Centre (ESDC), is focused on building a modern science archive that takes into account internationally recognised standards in order to provide access to the archive through tools from third parties, for example by the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS), the VESPA project from the Virtual Observatory of Paris as well as other international institutions. The protocols and standards currently being supported by the new Planetary Science Archive at this time are the Planetary Data Access Protocol (PDAP), the EuroPlanet-Table Access Protocol (EPN-TAP) and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. The architecture of the PSA consists of a Geoserver (an open-source map server), the goal of which is to support use cases such as the distribution of search results, sharing and processing data through a OGC Web Feature Service (WFS) and a Web Map Service (WMS). This server also allows the retrieval of requested information in several standard output formats like Keyhole Markup Language (KML), Geography Markup Language (GML), shapefile, JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) and Comma Separated Values (CSV), among others. The provision of these various output formats enables end-users to be able to transfer retrieved data into popular applications such as Google Mars and NASA World Wind.

  7. Service-Based Extensions to an OAIS Archive for Science Data Management

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Flathers, E.; Seamon, E.; Gessler, P. E.

    2014-12-01

    With new data management mandates from major funding sources such as the National Institutes for Health and the National Science Foundation, architecture of science data archive systems is becoming a critical concern for research institutions. The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS), in 2002, released their first version of a Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS). The CCSDS document (now an ISO standard) was updated in 2012 with additional focus on verifying the authenticity of data and developing concepts of access rights and a security model. The OAIS model is a good fit for research data archives, having been designed to support data collections of heterogeneous types, disciplines, storage formats, etc. for the space sciences. As fast, reliable, persistent Internet connectivity spreads, new network-available resources have been developed that can support the science data archive. A natural extension of an OAIS archive is the interconnection with network- or cloud-based services and resources. We use the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) design paradigm to describe a set of extensions to an OAIS-type archive: purpose and justification for each extension, where and how each extension connects to the model, and an example of a specific service that meets the purpose.

  8. X-ray and optical spectroscopy of the massive young open cluster IC 1805

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rauw, G.; Nazé, Y.

    2016-10-01

    Context. Very young open clusters are ideal places to study the X-ray properties of a homogeneous population of early-type stars. In this respect, the IC 1805 open cluster is very interesting as it hosts the O4 If+ star HD 15570 thought to be in an evolutionary stage intermediate between a normal O-star and a Wolf-Rayet star. Aims: Such a star could provide a test for theoretical models aiming at explaining the empirical scaling relation between the X-ray and bolometric luminosities of O-type stars. Methods: We have observed IC 1805 with XMM-Newton and further collected optical spectroscopy of some of the O-star members of the cluster. Results: The optical spectra allow us to revisit the orbital solutions of BD+60° 497 and HD 15558, and provide the first evidence of binarity for BD+60° 498. X-ray emission from colliding winds does not appear to play an important role among the O-stars of IC 1805. Notably, the X-ray fluxes do not vary significantly between archival X-ray observations and our XMM-Newton pointing. The very fast rotator BD+60° 513, and to a lesser extent the O4 If+ star HD 15570 appear somewhat underluminous. Whilst the underluminosity of HD 15570 is only marginally significant, its amplitude is found to be compatible with theoretical expectations based on its stellar and wind properties. A number of other X-ray sources are detected in the field, and the brightest objects, many of which are likely low-mass pre-main sequence stars, are analyzed in detail. Based on observations collected with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA member states and the USA (NASA), and with the TIGRE telescope (La Luz, Mexico).Table A.1 is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/594/A82

  9. The SuperCOSMOS Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hambly, N.; Read, M.; Mann, R.; Sutorius, E.; Bond, I.; MacGillivray, H.; Williams, P.; Lawrence, A.

    2004-07-01

    The SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey (SSS {http://www-wfau.roe.ac.uk/sss}; Hambly et al., 2001) consists of digitised scans of Schmidt photographic survey material in a multi-colour (BRI), multi-epoch, uniformly calibrated product. It covers the whole southern hemisphere, with an extension into the north currently underway. Public online access to the 2 Tbytes of SSS pixel data and object catalogues has been available for some time; data are being downloaded at a rate of several gigabytes per week, and many new science results are emerging from community use of the data. In this poster we describe the terabyte-scale SuperCOSMOS Science Archive {http://thoth.roe.ac.uk/ssa} (SSA), which is a recasting of the SSS object catalogue system from flat files into an RDBMS, with an enhanced user interface. We describe some aspects of the hardware and schema design of the SSA, which aims to produce a high performance, VO-compatible database, suitable for data mining by `power users', while maintaining the ease of use praised in the old SSS system. Initially, the SSA will allow access through web forms and a flexible SQL interface. It acts as the prototype for the next generation survey archives to be hosted by the University of Edinburgh's Wide Field Astronomy Unit, such as the WFCAM Science Archive of infrared sky survey data, as well as being a scalability testbed for use by AstroGrid, the UK's Virtual Observatory project. As a result of these roles, it will display subsequently an expanding functionality, as web - and later, Grid - services are deployed on it.

  10. Production of Previews and Advanced Data Products for the ESO Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rité, C.; Slijkhuis, R.; Rosati, P.; Delmotte, N.; Rino, B.; Chéreau, F.; Malapert, J.-C.

    2008-08-01

    We present a project being carried out by the Virtual Observatory Systems Department/Advanced Data Products group in order to populate the ESO Science Archive Facility with image previews and advanced data products. The main goal is to provide users of the ESO Science Archive Facility with the possibility of viewing pre-processed images associated with instruments like WFI, ISAAC and SOFI before actually retrieving the data for full processing. The image processing is done by using the ESO/MVM image reduction software developed at ESO, to produce astrometrically calibrated FITS images, ranging from simple previews of single archive images, to fully stacked mosaics. These data products can be accessed via the ESO Science Archive Query Form and also be viewed with the browser VirGO {http://archive.eso.org/cms/virgo}.

  11. Challenges of archiving science data from long duration missions: the Rosetta case

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, David

    2016-07-01

    Rosetta is the first mission designed to orbit and land on a comet. It consists of an orbiter, carrying 11 science experiments, and a lander, called 'Philae', carrying 10 additional instruments. Rosetta was launched on 2 March 2004, and arrived at the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on 6 August 2014. During its long journey, Rosetta has completed flybys of the Earth and Mars, and made two excursions to the main asteroid belt to observe (2867) Steins and (21) Lutetia. On 12 November 2014, the Philae probe soft landed on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the first time in history that such an extraordinary feat has been achieved. After the landing, the Rosetta orbiter followed the comet through its perihelion in August 2015, and will continue to accompany 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it recedes from the Sun until the end of the mission. There are significant challenges in managing the science archive of a mission such as Rosetta. The first data were returned from Rosetta more than 10 years ago, and there have been flybys of several planetary bodies, including two asteroids from which significant science data were returned by many of the instruments. The scientific applications for these flyby data can be very different to those taken during the main science phase at the comet, but there are severe limitations on the changes that can be applied to the data pipelines managed by the various science teams as resources are scarce. The priority is clearly on maximising the potential science from the comet phase, so data formats and pipelines have been designed with that in mind, and changes limited to managing issues found during official archiving authority and independent science reviews. In addition, in the time that Rosetta has been operating, the archiving standards themselves have evolved. All Rosetta data are archived following version 3 of NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS) Standards. Currently, new and upcoming planetary science missions are delivering data

  12. An XMM-Newton and NuSTAR Study of IGR J18214-1318: A Non-pulsating High-mass X-Ray Binary with a Neutron Star

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fornasini, Francesca M.; Tomsick, John A.; Bachetti, Matteo; Krivonos, Roman A.; Fürst, Felix; Natalucci, Lorenzo; Pottschmidt, Katja; Wilms, Jörn

    2017-05-01

    IGR J18214-1318, a Galactic source discovered by the International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory, is a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) with a supergiant O-type stellar donor. We report on the XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations that were undertaken to determine the nature of the compact object in this system. This source exhibits high levels of aperiodic variability, but no periodic pulsations are detected with a 90% confidence upper limit of 2% fractional rms between 0.00003-88 Hz, a frequency range that includes the typical pulse periods of neutron stars (NSs) in HMXBs (0.1-103 s). Although the lack of pulsations prevents us from definitively identifying the compact object in IGR J18214-1318, the presence of an exponential cutoff with e-folding energy ≲ 30 {keV} in its 0.3-79 keV spectrum strongly suggests that the compact object is an NS. The X-ray spectrum also shows a Fe Kα emission line and a soft excess, which can be accounted for by either a partial-covering absorber with {N}{{H}}≈ {10}23 cm-2, which could be due to the inhomogeneous supergiant wind, or a blackbody component with {kT}={1.74}-0.05+0.04 keV and {R}{BB}≈ 0.3 km, which may originate from NS hot spots. Although neither explanation for the soft excess can be excluded, the former is more consistent with the properties observed in other supergiant HMXBs. We compare IGR J18214-1318 to other HMXBs that lack pulsations or have long pulsation periods beyond the range covered by our observations.

  13. CAVITIES AND SHOCKS IN THE GALAXY GROUP HCG 62 AS REVEALED BY CHANDRA, XMM-NEWTON, AND GIANT METREWAVE RADIO TELESCOPE DATA

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gitti, Myriam; O'Sullivan, Ewan; Giacintucci, Simona

    2010-05-01

    We report on the results of an analysis of Chandra, XMM-Newton, and new Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) data of the X-ray bright compact group of galaxies HCG 62, which is one of the few groups known to possess clear, small X-ray cavities in the inner regions. This is part of an ongoing X-ray/low-frequency radio study of 18 groups, initially chosen for the availability of good-quality X-ray data and evidence for active galactic nucleus/hot gas interaction. At higher frequency (1.4 GHz), the HCG 62 cavity system shows minimal if any radio emission, but the new GMRT observations at 235 MHzmore » and 610 MHz clearly detect extended low-frequency emission from radio lobes corresponding to the cavities. By means of the synergy of X-ray and low-frequency radio observations, we compare and discuss the morphology, luminosity, and pressure of the gas and of the radio source. We find that the radio source is radiatively inefficient, with a ratio of radio luminosity to mechanical cavity power of {approx}10{sup -4}, and that the radio pressure of the lobes is about 1 order of magnitude lower than the X-ray pressure of the surrounding thermal gas. Thanks to the high spatial resolution of the Chandra surface brightness and temperature profiles, we also identify a shock front located at 36 kpc to the southwest of the group center, close to the southern radio lobe, with a Mach number {approx}1.5 and a total power which is about 1 order of magnitude higher than the cavity power. Such a shock may have heated the gas in the southern region, as indicated by the temperature map. The shock may also explain the arc-like region of enriched gas seen in the iron abundance map, as this may be produced by a non-Maxwellian electron distribution near its front.« less

  14. Weak lensing study of 16 DAFT/FADA clusters: Substructures and filaments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinet, Nicolas; Clowe, Douglas; Durret, Florence; Adami, Christophe; Acebrón, Ana; Hernandez-García, Lorena; Márquez, Isabel; Guennou, Loic; Sarron, Florian; Ulmer, Mel

    2016-05-01

    France, and the University of Hawaii. The study is also based on archive data collected at the Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. This research made use of data obtained from the Chandra Data Archive provided by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) and data obtained from the XMM-Newton Data Archive provided by the XMM-Newton Science Archive (XSA).

  15. Turbulence measurements in clusters of galaxies with XMM-Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pinto, C.; Fabian, A.; de Plaa, J.; Sanders, J.

    2014-07-01

    The kinematics structure of the intracluster medium (ICM) in clusters of galaxies is related to the their evolution. AGN feedback, sloshing of gas within the potential well, and galaxy mergers are thought to generate ICM velocity widths of several hundred km/s. Appropriate determinations of turbulent broadening are crucial not only to understand the effects of the central engine onto the evolution of the clusters, but are also mandatory to obtain realistic (emission) line fits and abundances estimate. We have analyzed the data from the CHEERS catalog which includes 1.5 Ms of new observations (PI: Jelle de Plaa) and archival data for a total of 29 clusters and groups of galaxies, and elliptical galaxies. This campaign provided us with a unique database that significantly improves the quality of the existing observations and the measurements of chemical abundances and turbulent broadening. We have applied the continuum-subtraction spectral-fitting method of Sanders and Fabian and measured turbulence, temperatures, and abundances for the sources in the catalog. For some sources we obtain tight estimates of velocity broadening which is related to the past AGN activity and mergers. We will show our results at the conference and their relevance in the context of future missions.

  16. Discovery of Periodic Dips in the Brightest Hard X-Ray Source of M31 with EXTraS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marelli, Martino; Tiengo, Andrea; De Luca, Andrea; Salvetti, David; Saronni, Luca; Sidoli, Lara; Paizis, Adamantia; Salvaterra, Ruben; Belfiore, Andrea; Israel, Gianluca; Haberl, Frank; D’Agostino, Daniele

    2017-12-01

    We performed a search for eclipsing and dipping sources in the archive of the EXTraS project—a systematic characterization of the temporal behavior of XMM-Newton point sources. We discovered dips in the X-ray light curve of 3XMM J004232.1+411314, which has been recently associated with the hard X-ray source dominating the emission of M31. A systematic analysis of XMM-Newton observations revealed 13 dips in 40 observations (total exposure time of ∼0.8 Ms). Among them, four observations show two dips, separated by ∼4.01 hr. Dip depths and durations are variable. The dips occur only during low-luminosity states ({L}0.2{--12}< 1× {10}38 erg s‑1), while the source reaches {L}0.2{--12}∼ 2.8× {10}38 erg s‑1. We propose that this system is a new dipping low-mass X-ray binary in M31 seen at high inclination (60°–80°) the observed dipping periodicity is the orbital period of the system. A blue HST source within the Chandra error circle is the most likely optical counterpart of the accretion disk. The high luminosity of the system makes it the most luminous (not ULX) dipper known to date.

  17. Newton's method

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    More, J. J.; Sorensen, D. C.

    1982-02-01

    Newton's method plays a central role in the development of numerical techniques for optimization. In fact, most of the current practical methods for optimization can be viewed as variations on Newton's method. It is therefore important to understand Newton's method as an algorithm in its own right and as a key introduction to the most recent ideas in this area. One of the aims of this expository paper is to present and analyze two main approaches to Newton's method for unconstrained minimization: the line search approach and the trust region approach. The other aim is to present some of themore » recent developments in the optimization field which are related to Newton's method. In particular, we explore several variations on Newton's method which are appropriate for large scale problems, and we also show how quasi-Newton methods can be derived quite naturally from Newton's method.« less

  18. Digital Archive Issues from the Perspective of an Earth Science Data Producer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barkstrom, Bruce R.

    2004-01-01

    Contents include the following: Introduction. A Producer Perspective on Earth Science Data. Data Producers as Members of a Scientific Community. Some Unique Characteristics of Scientific Data. Spatial and Temporal Sampling for Earth (or Space) Science Data. The Influence of the Data Production System Architecture. The Spatial and Temporal Structures Underlying Earth Science Data. Earth Science Data File (or Relation) Schemas. Data Producer Configuration Management Complexities. The Topology of Earth Science Data Inventories. Some Thoughts on the User Perspective. Science Data User Communities. Spatial and Temporal Structure Needs of Different Users. User Spatial Objects. Data Search Services. Inventory Search. Parameter (Keyword) Search. Metadata Searches. Documentation Search. Secondary Index Search. Print Technology and Hypertext. Inter-Data Collection Configuration Management Issues. An Archive View. Producer Data Ingest and Production. User Data Searching and Distribution. Subsetting and Supersetting. Semantic Requirements for Data Interchange. Tentative Conclusions. An Object Oriented View of Archive Information Evolution. Scientific Data Archival Issues. A Perspective on the Future of Digital Archives for Scientific Data. References Index for this paper.

  19. XMM telescope goes on show for the first time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1997-05-01

    After years of little-publicized effort in various parts of Europe, one of the finished XMM telescopes is presented for the first time to the press and other visitors during a press briefing on 22 May at the Centre Spatial de LiŠge (CSL) in Belgium. As the telescope is a flight model due to go into space, the inspection is hands-off, through a clean-room window. But visitors can see the multi-mirror module looking like a log of wood 70 centimetres wide and 60 centimetres long. In cross-section the nesting mirrors make concentric rings resembling the rings of annual growth in a tree --except that there are narrow gaps between the mirrors, to let in the X- rays. Galileo and Newton would not recognize the XMM module as a telescope, but they never had to focus X-rays, which ignore lenses and ordinary mirrors. The German physicist Hans Wolter invented a near-cylindrical mirror that narrows in a geometric fashion, first along a parabola and then a hyperbola. Some of the X-rays entering through the wider end are twice reflected from the interior wall at grazing angles, and go to a focus. When Wolter's concept went into telescopes for X-ray astronomy, most of the X-rays simply missed the mirror, so that any signal was weak. The remedy was to fill the interior with smaller concentric mirrors, to catch more of the X-rays. In practice, that meant either a few mirrors, fashioned and aligned with care to achieve a high resolving power, or many cruder mirrors which sacrificed optical sharpness for the sake of sensitivity. The XMM telescopes are the first to achieve both sharpness and sensitivity, thanks to innovations by European industry made possible by XMM's status as a Cornerstone Mission in ESA's science programme. Carl Zeiss in Germany provided mandrels (moulds) of 58 sizes, all carefully polished to the required paraboloidal-hyperboloidal shape. Media Lario in Italy made the reflective surface by depositing gold on the mandrel under vacuum, and then backed it with nickel

  20. News from the ESO Science Archive Facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dobrzycki, A.; Arnaboldi, M.; Bierwirth, T.; Boelter, M.; Da Rocha, C.; Delmotte, N.; Forchì, V.; Fourniol, N.; klein Gebbinck, M.; Lange, U.; Mascetti, L.; Micol, A.; Moins, C.; Munte, C.; Pluciennik, C.; Retzlaff, J.; Romaniello, M.; Rosse, N.; Sequeiros, I. V.; Vuong, M.-H.; Zampieri, S.

    2015-09-01

    ESO Science Archive Facility (SAF) - one of the world's biggest astronomical archives - combines two roles: operational (ingest, tallying, safekeeping and distribution to observers of raw data taken with ESO telescopes and processed data generated both internally and externally) and scientific (publication and delivery of all flavours of data to external users). This paper presents the “State of the SAF.” SAF, as a living entity, is constantly implementing new services and upgrading the existing ones. We present recent and future developments related to the Archive's Request Handler and metadata handling as well as performance and usage statistics and trends. We also discuss the current and future datasets on offer at SAF.

  1. Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) in the Post-Shuttle Era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fitts, Mary A.; Johnson-Throop, Kathy; Havelka, Jacque; Thomas, Diedre

    2009-01-01

    Now, more than ever before, NASA is realizing the value and importance of their intellectual assets. Principles of knowledge management, the systematic use and reuse of information/experience/expertise to achieve a specific goal, are being applied throughout the agency. LSDA is also applying these solutions, which rely on a combination of content and collaboration technologies, to enable research teams to create, capture, share, and harness knowledge to do the things they do well, even better. In the early days of spaceflight, space life sciences data were been collected and stored in numerous databases, formats, media-types and geographical locations. These data were largely unknown/unavailable to the research community. The Biomedical Informatics and Health Care Systems Branch of the Space Life Sciences Directorate at JSC and the Data Archive Project at ARC, with funding from the Human Research Program through the Exploration Medical Capability Element, are fulfilling these requirements through the systematic population of the Life Sciences Data Archive. This project constitutes a formal system for the acquisition, archival and distribution of data for HRP-related experiments and investigations. The general goal of the archive is to acquire, preserve, and distribute these data and be responsive to inquiries from the science communities.

  2. Using and Distributing Spaceflight Data: The Johnson Space Center Life Sciences Data Archive

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cardenas, J. A.; Buckey, J. C.; Turner, J. N.; White, T. S.; Havelka,J. A.

    1995-01-01

    Life sciences data collected before, during and after spaceflight are valuable and often irreplaceable. The Johnson Space Center Life is hard to find, and much of the data (e.g. Sciences Data Archive has been designed to provide researchers, engineers, managers and educators interactive access to information about and data from human spaceflight experiments. The archive system consists of a Data Acquisition System, Database Management System, CD-ROM Mastering System and Catalog Information System (CIS). The catalog information system is the heart of the archive. The CIS provides detailed experiment descriptions (both written and as QuickTime movies), hardware descriptions, hardware images, documents, and data. An initial evaluation of the archive at a scientific meeting showed that 88% of those who evaluated the catalog want to use the system when completed. The majority of the evaluators found the archive flexible, satisfying and easy to use. We conclude that the data archive effectively provides key life sciences data to interested users.

  3. Discovery of Coherent Pulsations from the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source NGC 7793 P13

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Furst, F.; Walton, D. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Stern, D.; Barret, D.; Brightman, M.; Fabian, A. C.; Grefenstette, B.; Madsen, K. K.; Middleton, M. J.; hide

    2016-01-01

    We report the detection of coherent pulsations from the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) NGC 7793P13. The approx. =0.42 s nearly sinusoidal pulsations were initially discovered in broadband X-ray observations using XMM-Newton and NuSTAR taken in 2016. We subsequently also found pulsations in archival XMM-Newton data taken in 2013 and 2014. The significant (>>5(sigma)) detection of coherent pulsations demonstrates that the compact object in P13 is a neutron star, and given the observed peak luminosity of 10(exp 40) erg/ s (assuming isotropy), it is well above the Eddington limit for a 1.4 Stellar Mass accretor. This makes P13 the second ULX known to be powered by an accreting neutron star. The pulse period varies between epochs, with a slow but persistent spin-up over the 2013-2016 period. This spin-up indicates a magnetic field of B1.51012 G, typical of many Galactic accreting pulsars. The most likely explanation for the extreme luminosity is a high degree of beaming; however, this is difficult to reconcile with the sinusoidal pulse profile.

  4. 3XMM J181923.7-170616: An X-Ray Binary with a 408 s Pulsar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qiu, Hao; Zhou, Ping; Yu, Wenfei; Li, Xiangdong; Xu, Xiaojie

    2017-09-01

    We carry out a dedicated study of 3XMM J181923.7-170616 with an approximate pulsation period of 400 s using the XMM-Newton and Swift observations spanning across nine years. We have refined the period of the source to 407.904(7) s (at epoch MJD 57142) and constrained the 1σ upper limit on the period derivative \\dot{P}≤slant 1.1× {10}-8 {{s}} {{{s}}}-1. The source radiates hard, persistent X-ray emission during the observation epochs, which is best described by an absorbed power-law model (Γ ˜ 0.2-0.8) plus faint Fe lines at 6.4 and 6.7 keV. The X-ray flux revealed a variation within a factor of 2, along with a spectral hardening as the flux increased. The pulse shape is sinusoid-like and the spectral properties of different phases do not present significant variation. The absorption {N}{{H}} (˜ 1.3× {10}22 {{cm}}-2) is similar to the total Galactic hydrogen column density along the direction, indicating that it is a distant source. A search for the counterpart in optical and near-infrared surveys reveals a low-mass K-type giant, while the existence of a Galactic OB supergiant is excluded. A symbiotic X-ray binary (SyXB) is the favored nature of 3XMM J181923.7-170616 and can essentially explain the low luminosity of 2.78× {10}34{d}102 {erg} {{{s}}}-1, slow pulsation, hard X-ray spectrum, and possible K3 III companion. An alternative explanation of the source is a persistent Be X-ray binary (BeXB) with a companion star no earlier than B3-type.

  5. An Assessment of a Science Discipline Archive Against ISO 16363

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hughes, J. S.; Downs, R. R.

    2016-12-01

    The Planetary Data System (PDS) is a federation of science discipline nodes formed in response to the findings of the Committee on Data Management and Computing (CODMAC 1986) that a "wealth of science data would ultimately cease to be useful and probably lost if a process was not developed to ensure that the science data were properly archived." Starting operations in 1990 the stated mission of the PDS is to "facilitate achievement of NASA's planetary science goals by efficiently collecting, archiving, and making accessible digital data and documentation produced by or relevant to NASA's planetary missions, research programs, and data analysis programs."In 2008 the PDS initiated a transition to a more modern system based on key principles found in the Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model (ISO 14721), a set of functional requirements provided by the designated community, and about twenty years of lessons-learned. With science digital data now being archived under the new PDS4, the PDS is a good use case to be assessed as a trusted repository against ISO 16363, a recommended practice for assessing the trustworthiness of digital repositories.This presentation will summarize the OAIS principles adopted for PDS4 and the findings of a desk assessment of the PDS against ISO 16363. Also presented will be specific items of evidence, for example the PDS mission statement above, and how they impact the level of certainty that the ISO 16363 metrics are being met.

  6. ESA's Planetary Science Archive: International collaborations towards transparent data access

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, David

    The European Space Agency's (ESA) Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is the central repository for science data returned by all ESA planetary missions. Current holdings include data from Giotto, SMART-1, Cassini-Huygens, Mars Express, Venus Express, and Rosetta. In addition to the basic management and distribution of these data to the community through our own interfaces, ESA has been working very closely with international partners to globalize the archiving standards used and the access to our data. Part of this ongoing effort is channelled through our participation in the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA), whose focus is on allowing transparent and interoperable access to data holdings from participating Agencies around the globe. One major focus of this work has been the development of the Planetary Data Access Protocol (PDAP) that will allow for the interoperability of archives and sharing of data. This is already used for transparent access to data from Venus Express, and ESA are currently working with ISRO and NASA to provide interoperable access to ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 data through our systems using this protocol. Close interactions are ongoing with NASA's Planetary Data System as the standards used for planetary data archiving evolve, and two of our upcoming missions are to be the first to implement the new 'PDS4' standards in ESA: BepiColombo and ExoMars. Projects have been established within the IPDA framework to guide these implementations to try and ensure interoperability and maximise the usability of the data by the community. BepiColombo and ExoMars are both international missions, in collaboration with JAXA and IKI respectively, and a strong focus has been placed on close interaction and collaboration throughout the development of each archive. For both of these missions there is a requirement to share data between the Agencies prior to public access, as well as providing complete open access globally once the proprietary periods have

  7. The Book and the Archive in the History of Science.

    PubMed

    Yale, Elizabeth

    2016-03-01

    In recent years, the history of archives has opened up rich possibilities for understanding early modern science and medicine in material terms. Yet two strands of inquiry, vital to understanding the development of science and medicine as "paper knowledge," have been left largely unpursued: the archiving of personal papers, as distinct from the formation of institutional archives; and the ways in which printed books and archival papers functioned in relation to each other. This essay brings these two strands to the forefront, considering in particular books published posthumously from the notes and correspondence left behind by Nicholas Culpeper, a popular mid-seventeenth-century English vernacular medical author, and John Ray, naturalist and Fellow of the Royal Society. Culpeper's and Ray's cases illustrate, in particular, the central role of women in preserving, circulating, and certifying the authenticity of medical and scientific papers and of any books published posthumously from them.

  8. Archiving InSight Lander Science Data Using PDS4 Standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stein, T.; Guinness, E. A.; Slavney, S.

    2017-12-01

    The InSight Mars Lander is scheduled for launch in 2018, and science data from the mission will be archived in the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) using the new PDS4 standards. InSight is a geophysical lander with a science payload that includes a seismometer, a probe to measure subsurface temperatures and heat flow, a suite of meteorology instruments, a magnetometer, an experiment using radio tracking, and a robotic arm that will provide soil physical property information based on interactions with the surface. InSight is not the first science mission to archive its data using PDS4. However, PDS4 archives do not currently contain examples of the kinds of data that several of the InSight instruments will produce. Whereas the existing common PDS4 standards were sufficient for most of archiving requirements of InSight, the data generated by a few instruments required development of several extensions to the PDS4 information model. For example, the seismometer will deliver a version of its data in SEED format, which is standard for the terrestrial seismology community. This format required the design of a new product type in the PDS4 information model. A local data dictionary has also been developed for InSight that contains attributes that are not part of the common PDS4 dictionary. The local dictionary provides metadata relevant to all InSight data sets, and attributes specific to several of the instruments. Additional classes and attributes were designed for the existing PDS4 geometry dictionary that will capture metadata for the lander position and orientation, along with camera models for stereo image processing. Much of the InSight archive planning and design work has been done by a Data Archiving Working Group (DAWG), which has members from the InSight project and the PDS. The group coordinates archive design, schedules and peer review of the archive documentation and test products. The InSight DAWG archiving effort for PDS is being led by the PDS Geosciences

  9. samiDB: A Prototype Data Archive for Big Science Exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Green, A. W.; Cortese, L.; Foster, C.; Scott, N.

    2015-04-01

    samiDB is an archive, database, and query engine to serve the spectra, spectral hypercubes, and high-level science products that make up the SAMI Galaxy Survey. Based on the versatile Hierarchical Data Format (HDF5), samiDB does not depend on relational database structures and hence lightens the setup and maintenance load imposed on science teams by metadata tables. The code, written in Python, covers the ingestion, querying, and exporting of data as well as the automatic setup of an HTML schema browser. samiDB serves as a maintenance-light data archive for Big Science and can be adopted and adapted by science teams that lack the means to hire professional archivists to set up the data back end for their projects.

  10. Mapping the Socio-Technical Complexity of Australian Science: From Archival Authorities to Networks of Contextual Information

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Gavan; Evans, Joanne

    2007-01-01

    This article examines the evolution of a national register of the archives of science and technology in Australia and the related development of an archival informatics focused initially on people and their relationships to archival materials. The register was created in 1985 as an in-house tool for the Australian Science Archives Project of the…

  11. The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute Archives: KOA and NStED

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Berriman, G. B.; Ciardi, D.; Abajian, M.; Barlow, T.; Bryden, G.; von Braun, K.; Good, J.; Kane, S.; Kong, M.; Laity, A.; Lynn, M.; Elroy, D. M.; Plavchan, P.; Ramirez, S.; Schmitz, M.; Stauffer, J.; Wyatt, P.; Zhang, A.; Goodrich, R.; Mader, J.; Tran, H.; Tsubota, M.; Beekley, A.; Berukoff, S.; Chan, B.; Lau, C.; Regelson, M.; Saucedo, M.; Swain, M.

    2010-12-01

    The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) maintains a series of archival services in support of NASA’s planet finding and characterization goals. Two of the larger archival services at NExScI are the Keck Observatory Archive (KOA) and the NASA Star and Exoplanet Database (NStED). KOA, a collaboration between the W. M. Keck Observatory and NExScI, serves raw data from the High Resolution Echelle Spectrograph (HIRES) and extracted spectral browse products. As of June 2009, KOA hosts over 28 million files (4.7 TB) from over 2,000 nights. In Spring 2010, it will begin to serve data from the Near-Infrared Echelle Spectrograph (NIRSPEC). NStED is a general purpose archive with the aim of providing support for NASA’s planet finding and characterization goals, and stellar astrophysics. There are two principal components of NStED: a database of (currently) all known exoplanets, and images; and an archive dedicated to high precision photometric surveys for transiting exoplanets. NStED is the US portal to the CNES mission CoRoT, the first space mission dedicated to the discovery and characterization of exoplanets. These archives share a common software and hardware architecture with the NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA). The software architecture consists of standalone utilities that perform generic query and retrieval functions. They are called through program interfaces and plugged together to form applications through a simple executive library.

  12. The ESA Planetary Science Archive User Group (PSA-UG)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pio Rossi, Angelo; Cecconi, Baptiste; Fraenz, Markus; Hagermann, Axel; Heather, David; Rosenblatt, Pascal; Svedhem, Hakan; Widemann, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    ESA has established a Planetary Science Archive User Group (PSA-UG), with the task of offering independent advice to ESA's Planetary Science Archive (e.g. Heather et al., 2013). The PSA-UG is an official and independent body that continuously evaluates services and tools provided by the PSA to the community of planetary data scientific users. The group has been tasked with the following top level objectives: a) Advise ESA on future development of the PSA. b) Act as a focus for the interests of the scientific community. c) Act as an advocate for the PSA. d) Monitor the PSA activities. Based on this, the PSA-UG will report through the official ESA channels. Disciplines and subjects represented by PSA-UG members include: Remote Sensing of both Atmosphere and Solid Surfaces, Magnetospheres, Plasmas, Radio Science and Auxilliary data. The composition of the group covers ESA missions populating the PSA both now and in the near future. The first members of the PSA-UG were selected in 2013 and will serve for 3 years, until 2016. The PSA-UG will address the community through workshops, conferences and the internet. Written recommendations will be made to the PSA coordinator, and an annual report on PSA and the PSA-UG activities will be sent to the Solar System Exploration Working Group (SSEWG). Any member of the community and planetary data user can get in touch with individual members of the PSA-UG or with the group as a whole via the contacts provided on the official PSA-UG web-page: http://archives.esac.esa.int/psa/psa-ug. The PSA is accessible via: http://archives.esac.esa.int/psa References: Heather, D., Barthelemy, M., Manaud, N., Martinez, S., Szumlas, M., Vazquez, J. L., Osuna, P. and the PSA Development Team (2013) ESA's Planetary Science Archive: Status, Activities and Plans. EuroPlanet Sci. Congr. #EPSC2013-626

  13. The LCOGT Observation Portal, Data Pipeline and Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lister, Tim; LCOGT Science Archive Team

    2014-01-01

    Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) is building and deploying a world-wide network of optical telescopes dedicated to time-domain astronomy. During 2012-2013, we successfully deployed and commissioned nine new 1m telescopes at McDonald Observatory (Texas), CTIO (Chile), SAAO (South Africa) and Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). New, improved cameras and additional telescopes will be deployed during 2014. To enable the diverse LCOGT user community of scientific and educational users to request observations on the LCOGT Network and to see their progress and get access to their data, we have developed an Observation Portal system. This Observation Portal integrates proposal submission and observation requests with seamless access to the data products from the data pipelines in near-realtime and long-term products from the Science Archive. We describe the LCOGT Observation Portal and the data pipeline, currently in operation, which makes use of the ORAC-DR automated recipe-based data reduction pipeline and illustrate some of the new data products. We also present the LCOGT Science Archive, which is being developed in partnership with the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) and show some of the new features the Science Archive provides.

  14. The Growth of the User Community of the La Silla Paranal Observatory Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romaniello, M.; Arnaboldi, M.; Da Rocha, C.; De Breuck, C.; Delmotte, N.; Dobrzycki, A.; Fourniol, N.; Freudling, W.; Mascetti, L.; Micol, A.; Retzlaff, J.; Sterzik, M.; Sequeiros, I. V.; De Breuck, M. V.

    2016-03-01

    The archive of the La Silla Paranal Observatory has grown steadily into a powerful science resource for the ESO astronomical community. Established in 1998, the Science Archive Facility (SAF) stores both the raw data generated by all ESO instruments and selected processed (science-ready) data. The growth of the SAF user community is analysed through access and publication statistics. Statistics are presented for archival users, who do not contribute to observing proposals, and contrasted with regular and archival users, who are successful in competing for observing time. Archival data from the SAF contribute to about one paper out of four that use data from ESO facilities. This study reveals that the blend of users constitutes a mixture of the traditional ESO community making novel use of the data and of a new community being built around the SAF.

  15. The History of Archives and the History of Science: Comment.

    PubMed

    James, Kathryn

    2016-03-01

    Drawing on Terry Cook's famous challenge to the relationship of historians to the archive, this comment responds to the four preceding Focus essays, offering an examination of the roles, in particular, of acquisition and appraisal, canon formation, and place or location in the relationship that historians of science have with the archive.

  16. XMM-Newton Proposal 03024201

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barth, Aaron

    2004-10-01

    POX 52 is a Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 galaxy with extreme and unusual properties. Its black hole mass, estimated from the optical spectrum of the AGN, is only ~10^5 solar masses; its host galaxy is a dwarf elliptical with a velocity dispersion of only 36+/-5 km/s; and it is radiating at L/L_Edd ~ 1. POX 52 offers a unique opportunity to study black hole accretion at high accretion rates in a mass range that has barely been explored previously. We request 100 ksec of EPIC-pn observations of this unique AGN in order to characterize its X-ray spectrum and absorption, to search for Fe K line emission, to study its variability properties, and to search for quasi-periodic oscillations with the aim of better constraining the black hole mass.

  17. CHANDRA and XMM-NEWTON observations of the bimodal PLANCK SZ-detected clustered CKG345.40-39.34 (A3716) with high and low entropy subcluster cores

    DOE PAGES

    Andrade-Santos, Felipe; Jones, Christine; Forman, William R.; ...

    2015-04-22

    Here, we present results from Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT observations of the Planck SZ-detected cluster A3716 (PLCKG345.40-39.34-G345). We show that G345 is, in fact, two subclusters separated on the sky by 400 kpc. We measure the subclusters' gas temperatures (~2–3 keV), total (~1–2 × 10 14more » $${{M}_{\\odot }}$$) and gas (~1–2 × 10 13 $${{M}_{\\odot }}$$) masses, gas mass fraction within r500, entropy profiles, and X-ray luminosities (~10 43 erg s -1). Using the gas density and temperature profiles for both subclusters, we show that there is good (0.8σ) agreement between the expected Sunyaev–Zel'dovich signal predicted from the X-ray data and that measured from the Planck mission, and better agreement within 0.6σ when we re-computed the Planck value assuming a two component cluster model, with relative amplitudes fixed based on the X-ray data. Dynamical analysis shows that the two galaxy subclusters are very likely ($$\\gt 97\\%$$ probability) gravitationally bound, and in the most likely scenario, the subclusters will undergo core passage in 500 ± 200 Myr. The northern subcluster is centrally peaked and has a low entropy core, while the southern subcluster has a high central entropy. Finally, the high central entropy in the southern subcluster can be explained either by the mergers of several groups, as suggested by the presence of five giant ellipticals or by active galactic nucleus energy injection, as suggested by the presence of a strong radio source in one of its massive elliptical galaxies, or by a combination of both processes.« less

  18. The SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES) - V. Submillimetre properties of near-infrared-selected galaxies in the Subaru/XMM -Newton deep field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takagi, T.; Mortier, A. M. J.; Shimasaku, K.; Coppin, K.; Pope, A.; Ivison, R. J.; Hanami, H.; Serjeant, S.; Clements, D. L.; Priddey, R. S.; Dunlop, J. S.; Takata, T.; Aretxaga, I.; Chapman, S. C.; Eales, S. A.; Farrah, D.; Granato, G. L.; Halpern, M.; Hughes, D. H.; van Kampen, E.; Scott, D.; Sekiguchi, K.; Smail, I.; Vaccari, M.

    2007-11-01

    We have studied the submillimetre (submm) properties of the following classes of near-infrared-selected (NIR-selected) massive galaxies at high redshifts: BzK-selected star-forming galaxies (BzKs); distant red galaxies (DRGs); and extremely red objects (EROs). We used the SCUBA HAlf Degree Extragalactic Survey (SHADES), the largest uniform submm survey to date. Partial overlap of SIRIUS/NIR images and SHADES in Subaru/XMM-Newton deep field has allowed us to identify four submm-bright NIR-selected galaxies, which are detected in the mid-IR, 24μ m, and the radio, 1.4GHz. We find that all of our submm-bright NIR-selected galaxies satisfy the BzK selection criteria, i.e. BzK ≡ (z - K)AB - (B - z)AB >= -0.2, except for one galaxy whose B - z and z - K colours are however close to the BzK colour boundary. Two of the submm-bright NIR-selected galaxies satisfy all of the selection criteria we considered, i.e. they belong to the BzK-DRG-ERO overlapping population, or `extremely red' BzKs. Although these extremely red BzKs are rare (0.25 arcmin-2), up to 20 per cent of this population could be submm galaxies. This fraction is significantly higher than that found for other galaxy populations studied here. Via a stacking analysis, we have detected the 850-μ m flux of submm-faint BzKs and EROs in our SCUBA maps. While the contribution of z ~ 2 BzKs to the submm background is about 10-15 per cent and similar to that from EROs typically at z ~ 1, BzKs have a higher fraction (~30 per cent) of submm flux in resolved sources compared with EROs and submm sources as a whole. From the spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting analysis for both submm-bright and submm-faint BzKs, we found no clear signature that submm-bright BzKs are experiencing a specifically luminous evolutionary phase, compared with submm-faint BzKs. An alternative explanation might be that submm-bright BzKs are more massive than submm-faint ones.

  19. Simple, Script-Based Science Processing Archive

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lynnes, Christopher; Hegde, Mahabaleshwara; Barth, C. Wrandle

    2007-01-01

    The Simple, Scalable, Script-based Science Processing (S4P) Archive (S4PA) is a disk-based archival system for remote sensing data. It is based on the data-driven framework of S4P and is used for data transfer, data preprocessing, metadata generation, data archive, and data distribution. New data are automatically detected by the system. S4P provides services such as data access control, data subscription, metadata publication, data replication, and data recovery. It comprises scripts that control the data flow. The system detects the availability of data on an FTP (file transfer protocol) server, initiates data transfer, preprocesses data if necessary, and archives it on readily available disk drives with FTP and HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) access, allowing instantaneous data access. There are options for plug-ins for data preprocessing before storage. Publication of metadata to external applications such as the Earth Observing System Clearinghouse (ECHO) is also supported. S4PA includes a graphical user interface for monitoring the system operation and a tool for deploying the system. To ensure reliability, S4P continuously checks stored data for integrity, Further reliability is provided by tape backups of disks made once a disk partition is full and closed. The system is designed for low maintenance, requiring minimal operator oversight.

  20. The NASA Ames Life Sciences Data Archive: Biobanking for the Final Frontier

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rask, Jon; Chakravarty, Kaushik; French, Alison J.; Choi, Sungshin; Stewart, Helen J.

    2017-01-01

    The NASA Ames Institutional Scientific Collection involves the Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) and a biospecimen repository, which are responsible for archiving information and non-human biospecimens collected from spaceflight and matching ground control experiments. The ALSDA also manages a biospecimen sharing program, performs curation and long-term storage operations, and facilitates distribution of biospecimens for research purposes via a public website (https:lsda.jsc.nasa.gov). As part of our best practices, a tissue viability testing plan has been developed for the repository, which will assess the quality of samples subjected to long-term storage. We expect that the test results will confirm usability of the samples, enable broader science community interest, and verify operational efficiency of the archives. This work will also support NASA open science initiatives and guides development of NASA directives and policy for curation of biological collections.

  1. The Newtonian Moment - Isaac Newton and the Making of Modern Culture

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feingold, Mordechai

    2004-12-01

    Isaac Newton is a legendary figure whose mythical dimension threatens to overshadow the actual man. The story of the apple falling from the tree may or may not be true, but Isaac Newton's revolutionary discoveries and their importance to the Enlightenment era and beyond are undeniable. The Newtonian Moment , a companion volume to a forthcoming exhibition by the New York Public Library, investigates the effect that Newton's theories and discoveries had, not only on the growth of science, but also on the very shape of modern culture and thought. Newton's scientific work at Cambridge was groundbreaking. From his optical experiments with prisms during the 1660s to the publication of both Principia (1687) and Opticks (1704), Newton's achievements were widely disseminated, inciting tremendous interest and excitement. Newtonianism developed into a worldview marked by many tensions: between modernity and the old guard, between the humanities and science, and the public battles between great minds. The Newtonian Moment illuminates the many facets of his colossal accomplishments, as well as the debates over the kind of knowledge that his accomplishments engendered. The book contributes to a greater understanding of the world today by offering a panoramic view of the profound impact of Newtonianism on the science, literature, art, and religion of the Enlightenment. Copiously illustrated with items drawn from the collections of the New York Public Library as well as numerous other libraries and museums, The Newtonian Moment enlightens its audience with a guided and in-depth look at the man, his world, and his enduring legacy.

  2. Science data archives of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): Chandrayaan-1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gopala Krishna, Barla; Singh Nain, Jagjeet; Moorthi, Manthira

    the lunar surface from RAL, UK. Science data from the Chandrayaan-1 instruments is planned to be archived by combined efforts from all the instrument and Payload Operations Centre (POC) teams, the Indian Space Science Data Centre (ISSDC), the Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft Control Centre (SCC). Chandrayaan-1 Science Data Archive (CSDA) is planned at ISSDC is the primary data center for the payload data archives of Indian Space Science Missions. This data center is responsible for the Ingest, Archive, and Dissemination of the payload and related ancillary data for Space Science missions like Chandrayaan-1. The archiving process includes the design, generation, validation and transfer of the data archive. The archive will include raw and reduced data, calibration data, auxiliary data, higher-level derived data products, documentation and software. The CSDA will make use of the well-proven archive standards of the Planetary Data System (PDS) and planned to follow IPDA guidelines. This is to comply with the global standards for long term preservation of the data, maintain their usability and facilitate scientific community with the high quality data for their analysis. The primary users of this facility will be the principal investigators of the science payloads initially till the lock-in period. After this, the data will be made accessible to scientists from other institutions and also to the general public. The raw payload data received through the data reception stations is further processed to generate Level-0 and Level-1 data products, which are stored in the CSDA for subsequent dissemination. According to the well documented Chandrayaan-1 archive plan agreed by the experiment teams, the data collection period is decided to be six months. The first data delivery to long term archive of CSDA after peer review is expected to be eighteen months after launch. At present, Experimenter to Archive ICDs of the instrument data are under the process of review.

  3. An Ontology-Based Archive Information Model for the Planetary Science Community

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hughes, J. Steven; Crichton, Daniel J.; Mattmann, Chris

    2008-01-01

    The Planetary Data System (PDS) information model is a mature but complex model that has been used to capture over 30 years of planetary science data for the PDS archive. As the de-facto information model for the planetary science data archive, it is being adopted by the International Planetary Data Alliance (IPDA) as their archive data standard. However, after seventeen years of evolutionary change the model needs refinement. First a formal specification is needed to explicitly capture the model in a commonly accepted data engineering notation. Second, the core and essential elements of the model need to be identified to help simplify the overall archive process. A team of PDS technical staff members have captured the PDS information model in an ontology modeling tool. Using the resulting knowledge-base, work continues to identify the core elements, identify problems and issues, and then test proposed modifications to the model. The final deliverables of this work will include specifications for the next generation PDS information model and the initial set of IPDA archive data standards. Having the information model captured in an ontology modeling tool also makes the model suitable for use by Semantic Web applications.

  4. Characterizing the X-ray Emission in Small Magellanic Cloud Supernova Remnants

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Man, Nicole; Auchettl, Katie; Lopez, Laura

    2018-01-01

    The Small Magellanic Cloud is a close, metal-poor galaxy with active star formation, and it has a diverse population of 24 supernova remnants (SNRs) that have been identified at several wavelengths. Past work has characterized the X-ray emission in these sources separately and aimed to constrain their explosive origins from observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton. Three SNRs have possible evidence for Type Ia explosions based on strong Fe-L emission in their X-ray spectra, although the environments and intermediate-mass element abundances are more consistent with those of core-collapse SNe. In this poster, we analyze the archival Chandra and XMM-Newton observations of the SMC SNR sample, and we model the sources' X-ray spectra in a systematic way to derive the plasma properties and to constrain the nature of the explosions. In one SNR, we note the presence of an X-ray binary near the source's geometric center, suggesting the compact object was produced in the SN explosion. As one of only three SNRs known in the Local Group to host a binary system, this source is worthy of follow-up investigations to probe explosions of massive stars in binary systems.

  5. Rosetta Planetary Science Archive (PSA) Status

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wirth, Kristin R.; Cardesin, A.; Barthelemy, M.; Diaz del Rio, J.; Zender, J.; Arviset, C.

    2006-09-01

    The Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is an online database (accessible via http://www.rssd.esa.int/PSA) implemented by ESA/RSSD. Currently the PSA contains the science data from the Giotto (Halley), Mars Express and SMART-1 (Moon) missions, and the Rosetta Supplementary Archive (Wirtanen). The PSA user is offered a broad range of search possibilities. Search queries can be combined without restrictions and are executed across the whole database. The PSA utilizes the Planetary Data System (PDS) standard. In spring 2007 the PSA will provide the first science and engineering data collected by Rosetta. In preparation for the initial Peer Review to be performed before publication of these data, an Internal Review was held in March 2006, executed by staff internal to the organizations responsible for the Rosetta archiving (ESA, PDS, CNES). The Internal Reviewers identified shortcomings in documentation, data structures, and completeness of the data delivery. They recommended the usage of unified conventions and formats across different instruments. Work is ongoing to include standardized geometry information in the datasets. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 to rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (C-G) in May 2014. After having placed a lander on the comet's surface, the Rosetta orbiter will continue to orbit C-G and accompany the comet through perihelion. Rosetta makes use of three Earth swingbys and one Mars swingby in order to reach C-G. Rosetta will also perform close flybys at two asteroids, namely 2867 Steins in September 2008 and 21 Lutetia in July 2010. In addition, Rosetta makes scientific observations of targets of opportunity, e.g. lightcurves of the flyby asteroids to study the rotation, and plasma measurements when passing through cometary ion tails or meteoroid streams. Rosetta continuously monitored the encounter of the Deep Impact probe with comet 9P/Tempel 1 over an extended period of 16 days around the impact on 4 July 2005.

  6. The HEASARC in the 2020s

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smale, Alan P.

    2018-06-01

    The High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) is NASA's primary archive for high energy astrophysics and cosmic microwave background (CMB) data, supporting the broad science goals of NASA's Physics of the Cosmos theme. It provides vital scientific infrastructure to the community by standardizing science data formats and analysis programs, providing open access to NASA resources, and implementing powerful archive interfaces. These enable multimission studies of key astronomical targets, and deliver a major cost savings to NASA and proposing mission teams in terms of a reusable science infrastructure, as well as a time savings to the astronomical community through not having to learn a new analysis system for each new mission. The HEASARC archive holdings are currently in excess of 100 TB, supporting seven active missions (Chandra, Fermi, INTEGRAL, NICER, NuSTAR, Swift, and XMM-Newton), and providing continuing access to data from over 40 missions that are no longer in operation. HEASARC scientists are also engaged with the upcoming IXPE and XARM missions, and with many other Probe, Explorer, SmallSat, and CubeSat proposing teams. Within the HEASARC, the LAMBDA CMB thematic archive provides a permanent archive for NASA mission data from WMAP, COBE, IRAS, SWAS, and a wide selection of suborbital missions and experiments, and hosts many other CMB-related datasets, tools, and resources. In this talk I will summarize the current activities of the HEASARC and our plans for the coming decade. In addition to mission support, we will expand our software and user interfaces to provide astronomers with new capabilities to access and analyze HEASARC data, and continue to work with our Virtual Observatory partners to develop and implement standards to enable improved interrogation and analysis of data regardless of wavelength regime, mission, or archive boundaries. The future looks bright for high energy astrophysics, and the HEASARC looks forward to

  7. Newton's Apple Teachers Guides. Seasons 9-10-11-12: A Collection of Lessons and Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul, MN.

    Newton's Apple is a PBS family science program that explores basic science through high-energy, hands-on demonstrations. This volume is a collection of the teacher's guides from four seasons of Newton's Apple which were originally broadcast from 1991 through 1994. Each of the four seasons in the volume contains 26 lessons and a combination of…

  8. Substructures in DAFT/FADA survey clusters based on XMM and optical data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durret, F.; DAFT/FADA Team

    2014-07-01

    The DAFT/FADA survey was initiated to perform weak lensing tomography on a sample of 90 massive clusters in the redshift range [0.4,0.9] with HST imaging available. The complementary deep multiband imaging constitutes a high quality imaging data base for these clusters. In X-rays, we have analysed the XMM-Newton and/or Chandra data available for 32 clusters, and for 23 clusters we fit the X-ray emissivity with a beta-model and subtract it to search for substructures in the X-ray gas. This study was coupled with a dynamical analysis for the 18 clusters with at least 15 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts in the cluster range, based on a Serna & Gerbal (SG) analysis. We detected ten substructures in eight clusters by both methods (X-rays and SG). The percentage of mass included in substructures is found to be roughly constant with redshift, with values of 5-15%. Most of the substructures detected both in X-rays and with the SG method are found to be relatively recent infalls, probably at their first cluster pericenter approach.

  9. The ESA Planetary Science Archive User Group (PSA-UG)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rossi, A. P.; Cecconi, B.; Fraenz, M.; Hagermann, A.; Heather, D.; Rosenblatt, P.; Svedhem, H.; Widemann, T.

    2014-04-01

    ESA has established a Planetary Science Archive User Group (PSA-UG), with the task of offering independent advice to ESA's Planetary Science Archive (e.g. Heather et al., 2013). The PSA-UG is an official and independent body that continuously evaluates services and tools provided by the PSA to the community of planetary data scientific users. The group has been tasked with the following top level objectives: a) Advise ESA on future development of the PSA. b) Act as a focus for the interests of the scientific community. c) Act as an advocate for the PSA. d) Monitor the PSA activities. Based on this, the PSA-UG will report through the official ESA channels. Disciplines and subjects represented by PSA-UG members include: Remote Sensing of both Atmosphere and Solid Surfaces, Magnetospheres, Plasmas, Radio Science and Auxilliary data. The composition of the group covers ESA missions populating the PSA both now and in the near future. The first members of the PSA-UG were selected in 2013 and will serve for 3 years, until 2016. The PSA-UG will address the community through workshops, conferences and the internet. Written recommendations will be made to the PSA coordinator, and an annual report on PSA and the PSA-UG activities will be sent to the Solar System Exploration Working Group (SSEWG). Any member of the community and planetary data user can get in touch with individual members of the PSA-UG or with the group as a whole via the contacts provided on the official PSA-UG web-page: http://archives.esac.esa.int/psa/psa-ug The PSA is accessible via: http://archives.esac.esa.int/psa

  10. Discovery of gamma- and X-ray pulsations from the young and energetic PSR J1357$-$6429 with Fermi and XMM-Newton

    DOE PAGES

    Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Zavlin, V. E.; Grondin, M. -H.; ...

    2011-09-07

    Context. Since the launch of the Fermi satellite, the number of known gamma-ray pulsars has increased tenfold. Most gamma-ray detected pulsars are young and energetic, and many are associated with TeV sources. PSR J1357-6429 is a high spin-down power pulsar (È = 3.1 × 1036 erg s -1), discovered during the Parkes multibeam survey of the Galactic plane, with significant timing noise typical of very young pulsars. In the very-high-energy domain (E > 100 GeV), H.E.S.S. has reported the detection of the extended source HESS J1356-645 (intrinsic Gaussian width of 12') whose centroid lies 7' from PSR J1357-6429. Aims. Wemore » search for gamma- and X-ray pulsations from this pulsar, characterize the neutron star emission and explore the environment of PSR J1357-6429. Methods. Using a rotational ephemeris obtained with 74 observations made with the Parkes telescope at 1.4 GHz, we phase-fold more than two years of gamma-ray data acquired by the Large Area Telescope on-board Fermi as well as those collected with XMM-Newton, and perform gamma-ray spectral modeling. Results. Significant gamma- and X-ray pulsations are detected from PSR J1357-6429. The light curve in both bands shows one broad peak. Gamma-ray spectral analysis of the pulsed emission suggests that it is well described by a simple power-law of index 1.5 ± 0.3 stat ± 0.3 syst with an exponential cut-off at 0.8 ± 0.3 stat ± 0.3 syst GeV and an integral photon flux above 100 MeV of (6.5 ± 1.6 stat ± 2.3 syst) × 10 -8 cm -2 s -1. The X-ray spectra obtained from the new data provide results consistent with previous work. Upper limits on the gamma-ray emission from its potential pulsar wind nebula (PWN) are also reported. Conclusions. Assuming a distance of 2.4 kpc, the Fermi LAT energy flux yields a gamma-ray luminosity for PSR J1357-6429 of L γ = (2.13 ± 0.25 stat ± 0.83 syst) × 1034 erg s -1, consistent with an relationship. The Fermi non-detection of the pulsar wind nebula associated with HESS J1356

  11. A new dataset validation system for the Planetary Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manaud, N.; Zender, J.; Heather, D.; Martinez, S.

    2007-08-01

    The Planetary Science Archive is the official archive for the Mars Express mission. It has received its first data by the end of 2004. These data are delivered by the PI teams to the PSA team as datasets, which are formatted conform to the Planetary Data System (PDS). The PI teams are responsible for analyzing and calibrating the instrument data as well as the production of reduced and calibrated data. They are also responsible of the scientific validation of these data. ESA is responsible of the long-term data archiving and distribution to the scientific community and must ensure, in this regard, that all archived products meet quality. To do so, an archive peer-review is used to control the quality of the Mars Express science data archiving process. However a full validation of its content is missing. An independent review board recently recommended that the completeness of the archive as well as the consistency of the delivered data should be validated following well-defined procedures. A new validation software tool is being developed to complete the overall data quality control system functionality. This new tool aims to improve the quality of data and services provided to the scientific community through the PSA, and shall allow to track anomalies in and to control the completeness of datasets. It shall ensure that the PSA end-users: (1) can rely on the result of their queries, (2) will get data products that are suitable for scientific analysis, (3) can find all science data acquired during a mission. We defined dataset validation as the verification and assessment process to check the dataset content against pre-defined top-level criteria, which represent the general characteristics of good quality datasets. The dataset content that is checked includes the data and all types of information that are essential in the process of deriving scientific results and those interfacing with the PSA database. The validation software tool is a multi-mission tool that

  12. How Two Differing Portraits of Newton Can Teach Us about the Cultural Context of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucci, Pasquale

    2015-01-01

    Like several scientists, Isaac Newton has been represented many times over many different periods, and portraits of Newton were often commissioned by the scientist himself. These portraits tell us a lot about the scientist, the artist and the cultural context. This article examines two very different portraits of Newton that were realized more…

  13. BLACK HOLE MASS AND EDDINGTON RATIO DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS OF X-RAY-SELECTED BROAD-LINE AGNs AT z {approx} 1.4 IN THE SUBARU XMM-NEWTON DEEP FIELD

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Nobuta, K.; Akiyama, M.; Ueda, Y.

    2012-12-20

    In order to investigate the growth of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), we construct the black hole mass function (BHMF) and Eddington ratio distribution function (ERDF) of X-ray-selected broad-line active galactic nuclei (AGNs) at z {approx} 1.4 in the Subaru XMM-Newton Deep Survey (SXDS) field. A significant part of the accretion growth of SMBHs is thought to take place in this redshift range. Black hole masses of X-ray-selected broad-line AGNs are estimated using the width of the broad Mg II line and 3000 A monochromatic luminosity. We supplement the Mg II FWHM values with the H{alpha} FWHM obtained from our NIRmore » spectroscopic survey. Using the black hole masses of broad-line AGNs at redshifts between 1.18 and 1.68, the binned broad-line AGN BHMFs and ERDFs are calculated using the V{sub max} method. To properly account for selection effects that impact the binned estimates, we derive the corrected broad-line AGN BHMFs and ERDFs by applying the maximum likelihood method, assuming that the ERDF is constant regardless of the black hole mass. We do not correct for the non-negligible uncertainties in virial BH mass estimates. If we compare the corrected broad-line AGN BHMF with that in the local universe, then the corrected BHMF at z = 1.4 has a higher number density above 10{sup 8} M{sub Sun} but a lower number density below that mass range. The evolution may be indicative of a downsizing trend of accretion activity among the SMBH population. The evolution of broad-line AGN ERDFs from z = 1.4 to 0 indicates that the fraction of broad-line AGNs with accretion rates close to the Eddington limit is higher at higher redshifts.« less

  14. [Information production by scientists and the history of science: typological study of personal archives].

    PubMed

    Silva, Maria Celina Soares de Mello E; Trancoso, Márcia Cristina Duarte

    2015-01-01

    This article addresses the study of document typology in the personal archives of scientists and its importance in the history of science studies and for the archivist's work. A brief history is presented of diplomatic to typological information, emphasizing that identifying document production activity as essential for its classification. The article illustrates personal archive characteristics as regards the diversity of documental types and, in particular, those belonging to physicists. Furthermore, it presents five examples of documental types found in the archives of physicists as examples of research in progress. It also highlights the elaboration of a glossary of different documental kinds and types found in the private archives of Museum of Astronomy and Related Sciences in Rio de Janeiro.

  15. Interoperability in the Planetary Science Archive (PSA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rios Diaz, C.

    2017-09-01

    The protocols and standards currently being supported by the recently released new version of the Planetary Science Archive at this time are the Planetary Data Access Protocol (PDAP), the EuroPlanet- Table Access Protocol (EPN-TAP) and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. We explore these protocols in more detail providing scientifically useful examples of their usage within the PSA.

  16. Unveiling an X-ray counterpart to the Unid. TeV source HESS J1852-000

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kosack, Karl

    2011-10-01

    We propose to use XMM-Newton to attempt to identify the hard-spectrum very-high- energy (VHE) gamma-ray source HESS J1852-000, which has currently no clear counterpart in lower-energy wavebands. The VHE source lies near the shell-type supernova remnant Kes 78, which may be associated with part of the VHE emission, e.g. through the illumination of nearby molecular clouds by escaping hadrons, via direct shock interaction, or via an as-yet-undetected nearby pulsar wind nebula. We present an analysis of archival XMM data from the region near Kes 78 that shows evidence for X-ray emission from part of the shell, and we propose a pointing that would complement the existing data while covering the peaks of the VHE gamma-ray emission as well as several weak X-ray and radio hotspots.

  17. The Fermi Science Support Center Data Servers and Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reustle, Alexander; Fermi Science Support Center

    2018-01-01

    The Fermi Science Support Center (FSSC) provides the scientific community with access to Fermi data and other products. The Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) data is stored at NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC) and is accessible through their searchable Browse web interface. The Large Area Telescope (LAT) data is distributed through a custom FSSC interface where users can request all photons detected from a region on the sky over a specified time and energy range. Through its website the FSSC also provides planning and scheduling products, such as long and short term observing timelines, spacecraft position and attitude histories, and exposure maps. We present an overview of the different data products provided by the FSSC, how they can be accessed, and statistics on the archive usage since launch.

  18. St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center's Core Archive Portal

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reich, Chris; Streubert, Matt; Dwyer, Brendan; Godbout, Meg; Muslic, Adis; Umberger, Dan

    2012-01-01

    This Web site contains information on rock cores archived at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC). Archived cores consist of 3- to 4-inch-diameter coral cores, 1- to 2-inch-diameter rock cores, and a few unlabeled loose coral and rock samples. This document - and specifically the archive Web site portal - is intended to be a 'living' document that will be updated continually as additional cores are collected and archived. This document may also contain future references and links to a catalog of sediment cores. Sediment cores will include vibracores, pushcores, and other loose sediment samples collected for research purposes. This document will: (1) serve as a database for locating core material currently archived at the USGS SPCMSC facility; (2) provide a protocol for entry of new core material into the archive system; and, (3) set the procedures necessary for checking out core material for scientific purposes. Core material may be loaned to other governmental agencies, academia, or non-governmental organizations at the discretion of the USGS SPCMSC curator.

  19. Archives and the Boundaries of Early Modern Science.

    PubMed

    Popper, Nicholas

    2016-03-01

    This contribution argues that the study of early modern archives suggests a new agenda for historians of early modern science. While in recent years historians of science have begun to direct increased attention toward the collections amassed by figures and institutions traditionally portrayed as proto-scientific, archives proliferated across early modern Europe, emerging as powerful tools for creating knowledge in politics, history, and law as well as natural philosophy, botany, and more. The essay investigates the methods of production, collection, organization, and manipulation used by English statesmen and Crown officers such as Keeper of the State Papers Thomas Wilson and Secretary of State Joseph Williamson to govern their disorderly collections. Their methods, it is shown, were shared with contemporaries seeking to generate and manage other troves of evidence and in fact reflect a complex ecosystem of imitation and exchange across fields of inquiry. These commonalities suggest that historians of science should look beyond the ancestors of modern scientific disciplines to examine how practices of producing knowledge emerged and migrated throughout cultures of learning in Europe and beyond. Creating such a map of knowledge production and exchange, the essay concludes, would provide a renewed and expansive ambition for the field.

  20. Which Subsystems used to produce archival science products?

    Atmospheric Science Data Center

    2014-12-08

    ... - Combine telemetry and ephemeris data to produce Earth location geometry and convert radiometric counts produced by the ... inversion techniques. Daily and Monthly Time/Space Averaging - Convert from time-ordered to regionally-accessible data ... Data Products - Generate well-documented science archival products in an easily accessible format. ...

  1. XMM-NEWTON MONITORING OF THE CLOSE PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE BINARY AK SCO. EVIDENCE OF TIDE-DRIVEN FILLING OF THE INNER GAP IN THE CIRCUMBINARY DISK

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gomez de Castro, Ana Ines; Lopez-Santiago, Javier; Talavera, Antonio

    2013-03-20

    AK Sco stands out among pre-main-sequence binaries because of its prominent ultraviolet excess, the high eccentricity of its orbit, and the strong tides driven by it. AK Sco consists of two F5-type stars that get as close as 11 R{sub *} at periastron passage. The presence of a dense (n{sub e} {approx} 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3}) extended envelope has been unveiled recently. In this article, we report the results from an XMM-Newton-based monitoring of the system. We show that at periastron, X-ray and UV fluxes are enhanced by a factor of {approx}3 with respect to the apastron values. The X-raymore » radiation is produced in an optically thin plasma with T {approx} 6.4 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 6} K and it is found that the N{sub H} column density rises from 0.35 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -2} at periastron to 1.11 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 21} cm{sup -2} at apastron, in good agreement with previous polarimetric observations. The UV emission detected in the Optical Monitor band seems to be caused by the reprocessing of the high-energy magnetospheric radiation on the circumstellar material. Further evidence of the strong magnetospheric disturbances is provided by the detection of line broadening of 278.7 km s{sup -1} in the N V line with Hubble Space Telescope/Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. Numerical simulations of the mass flow from the circumbinary disk to the components have been carried out. They provide a consistent scenario with which to interpret AK Sco observations. We show that the eccentric orbit acts like a gravitational piston. At apastron, matter is dragged efficiently from the inner disk border, filling the inner gap and producing accretion streams that end as ring-like structures around each component of the system. At periastron, the ring-like structures come into contact, leading to angular momentum loss, and thus producing an accretion outburst.« less

  2. Status of Mars Global Surveyor Science Data Archives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slavney, S.; Arvidson, R. E.; Guinness, E. A.; Springer, R. J.

    2001-01-01

    The Mars Global Surveyor has been in orbit around Mars since September 1997, completing its primary mission on January 31, 2001. As of that date the spacecraft had completed more than 8000 mapping orbits. Data from its science instruments, radio science experiment, and SPICE files have been released regularly to the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) as described in the MGS Archive Plan and Addendum and are available online. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

  3. El Programa de Fortalecimiento de Capacidades de COSPAR

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gabriel, C.

    2016-08-01

    The provision of scientific data archives and analysis tools by diverse institutions in the world represents a unique opportunity for the development of scientific activities. An example of this is the European Space Agency's space observatory XMM-Newton with its Science Operations Centre at the European Space Astronomy Centre near Madrid, Spain. It provides through its science archive and web pages, not only the raw and processed data from the mission, but also analysis tools, and full documentation greatly helping their dissemination and use. These data and tools, freely accesible to anyone in the world, are the practical elements around which COSPAR (COmmittee on SPAce Research) Capacity Building Workshops have been conceived and developed, and held for a decade and a half in developing countries. The Programme started with X-ray workshops, but in-between it has been broadened to the most diverse space science areas. The workshops help to develop science at the highest level in those countries, in a long and substainable way, with a minimal investment (computer plus a moderate Internet connection). In this paper we discuss the basis, concepts, and achievements of the Capacity Building Programme. Two instances of the Programme have already taken place in Argentina, one of them devoted to X-ray astronomy and another to Infrared Astronomy. Several others have been organised for the Latin American region (Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico) with a large participation of young investigators from Argentina.

  4. X-ray versus infrared selection of distant galaxy clusters: A case study using the XMM-LSS and SpARCS cluster samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, J. P.; Ramos-Ceja, M. E.; Muzzin, A.; Pacaud, F.; Yee, H. K. C.; Wilson, G.

    2018-04-01

    We present a comparison of two samples of z > 0.8 galaxy clusters selected using different wavelength-dependent techniques and examine the physical differences between them. We consider 18 clusters from the X-ray selected XMM-LSS distant cluster survey and 92 clusters from the optical-MIR selected SpARCS cluster survey. Both samples are selected from the same approximately 9 square degree sky area and we examine them using common XMM-Newton, Spitzer-SWIRE and CFHT Legacy Survey data. Clusters from each sample are compared employing aperture measures of X-ray and MIR emission. We divide the SpARCS distant cluster sample into three sub-samples: a) X-ray bright, b) X-ray faint, MIR bright, and c) X-ray faint, MIR faint clusters. We determine that X-ray and MIR selected clusters display very similar surface brightness distributions of galaxy MIR light. In addition, the average location and amplitude of the galaxy red sequence as measured from stacked colour histograms is very similar in the X-ray and MIR-selected samples. The sub-sample of X-ray faint, MIR bright clusters displays a distribution of BCG-barycentre position offsets which extends to higher values than all other samples. This observation indicates that such clusters may exist in a more disturbed state compared to the majority of the distant cluster population sampled by XMM-LSS and SpARCS. This conclusion is supported by stacked X-ray images for the X-ray faint, MIR bright cluster sub-sample that display weak, centrally-concentrated X-ray emission, consistent with a population of growing clusters accreting from an extended envelope of material.

  5. Scientific Benefits of Space Science Models Archiving at Community Coordinated Modeling Center

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kuznetsova, Maria M.; Berrios, David; Chulaki, Anna; Hesse, Michael; MacNeice, Peter J.; Maddox, Marlo M.; Pulkkinen, Antti; Rastaetter, Lutz; Taktakishvili, Aleksandre

    2009-01-01

    The Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) hosts a set of state-of-the-art space science models ranging from the solar atmosphere to the Earth's upper atmosphere. CCMC provides a web-based Run-on-Request system, by which the interested scientist can request simulations for a broad range of space science problems. To allow the models to be driven by data relevant to particular events CCMC developed a tool that automatically downloads data from data archives and transform them to required formats. CCMC also provides a tailored web-based visualization interface for the model output, as well as the capability to download the simulation output in portable format. CCMC offers a variety of visualization and output analysis tools to aid scientists in interpretation of simulation results. During eight years since the Run-on-request system became available the CCMC archived the results of almost 3000 runs that are covering significant space weather events and time intervals of interest identified by the community. The simulation results archived at CCMC also include a library of general purpose runs with modeled conditions that are used for education and research. Archiving results of simulations performed in support of several Modeling Challenges helps to evaluate the progress in space weather modeling over time. We will highlight the scientific benefits of CCMC space science model archive and discuss plans for further development of advanced methods to interact with simulation results.

  6. The ExoMars Science Data Archive: Status and Plans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, David; Barbarisi, Isa; Brumfitt, Jon; Lim, Tanya; Metcalfe, Leo; Villacorta, Antonio

    2017-04-01

    The ExoMars program is a co-operation between ESA and Roscosmos comprising two missions: the first, launched on 14 March 2016, included the Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander; the second, due for launch in 2020, will be a Rover and Surface Platform (RSP). The archiving and management of the science data to be returned from ExoMars will require a significant development effort for the new Planetary Science Archive (PSA). These are the first data in the PSA to be formatted according to the new PDS4 Standards, and there are also significant differences in the way in which a scientist will want to query, retrieve, and use data from a suite of rover instruments as opposed to remote sensing instrumentation from an orbiter. NASA has a strong user community interaction for their rovers, and a similar approach to their 'Analysts Notebook' will be needed for the future PSA. In addition to the archiving interface itself, there are differences with the overall archiving process being followed for ExoMars compared to previous ESA planetary missions. The first level of data processing for the 2016 mission, from telemetry to raw, is completed by ESA at ESAC in Madrid, where the archive itself resides. Data continuously flow direct to the PSA, where after the given proprietary period, they will be released to the community via the user interfaces. For the rover mission, the data pipelines are being developed by European industry, in close collaboration with ESA PSA experts and with the instrument teams. The first level of data processing will be carried out for all instruments at ALTEC in Turin where the pipelines are developed, and from where the rover operations will also be run. This presentation will focus on the challenges involved in archiving the data from the ExoMars Program, and will outline the plans and current status of the system being developed to respond to the needs of the missions.

  7. NEWTON'S APPLE 14th Season Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wichmann, Sue, Ed.

    This guide was developed to help teachers use the 14th season of NEWTON'S APPLE in their classrooms and contains lessons formatted to follow the National Science Education Standards. The "Overview,""Main Activity," and "Try-This" sections were created with inquiry-based learning in mind. Each lesson page begins with…

  8. ESASky: a new Astronomy Multi-Mission Interface

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baines, D.; Merin, B.; Salgado, J.; Giordano, F.; Sarmiento, M.; Lopez Marti, B.; Racero, E.; Gutierrez, R.; De Teodoro, P.; Nieto, S.

    2016-06-01

    ESA is working on a science-driven discovery portal for all its astronomy missions at ESAC called ESASky. The first public release of this service will be shown, featuring interfaces for sky exploration and for single and multiple targets. It requires no operational knowledge of any of the missions involved. A first public beta release took place in October 2015 and gives users world-wide simplified access to high-level science-ready data products from ESA Astronomy missions plus a number of ESA-produced source catalogues. XMM-Newton data, metadata and products were some of the first to be accessible through ESASky. In the next decade, ESASky aims to include not only ESA missions but also access to data from other space and ground-based astronomy missions and observatories. From a technical point of view, ESASky is a web application that offers all-sky projections of full mission datasets using a new-generation HEALPix projection called HiPS; detailed geometrical footprints to connect all-sky mosaics to individual observations; direct access to the underlying mission-specific science archives and catalogues. The poster will be accompanied by a demo booth at the conference.

  9. An Improved Newton's Method.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mathews, John H.

    1989-01-01

    Describes Newton's method to locate roots of an equation using the Newton-Raphson iteration formula. Develops an adaptive method overcoming limitations of the iteration method. Provides the algorithm and computer program of the adaptive Newton-Raphson method. (YP)

  10. Life Sciences Data Archives (LSDA) in the Post-Shuttle Era

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fitts, Mary A.; Johnson-Throop, Kathy; Havelka, Jacque; Thomas, Diedre

    2010-01-01

    Now, more than ever before, NASA is realizing the value and importance of their intellectual assets. Principles of knowledge management-the systematic use and reuse of information, experience, and expertise to achieve a specific goal-are being applied throughout the agency. LSDA is also applying these solutions, which rely on a combination of content and collaboration technologies, to enable research teams to create, capture, share, and harness knowledge to do the things they do well, even better. In the early days of spaceflight, space life sciences data were collected and stored in numerous databases, formats, media-types and geographical locations. These data were largely unknown/unavailable to the research community. The Biomedical Informatics and Health Care Systems Branch of the Space Life Sciences Directorate at JSC and the Data Archive Project at ARC, with funding from the Human Research Program through the Exploration Medical Capability Element, are fulfilling these requirements through the systematic population of the Life Sciences Data Archive. This project constitutes a formal system for the acquisition, archival and distribution of data for HRP-related experiments and investigations. The general goal of the archive is to acquire, preserve, and distribute these data and be responsive to inquiries for the science communities. Information about experiments and data, as well as non-attributable human data and data from other species' are available on our public Web site http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov. The Web site also includes a repository for biospecimens, and a utilization process. NASA has undertaken an initiative to develop a Shuttle Data Archive repository. The Shuttle program is nearing its end in 2010 and it is critical that the medical and research data related to the Shuttle program be captured, retained, and usable for research, lessons learned, and future mission planning. Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion

  11. Development of public science archive system of Subaru Telescope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baba, Hajime; Yasuda, Naoki; Ichikawa, Shin-Ichi; Yagi, Masafumi; Iwamoto, Nobuyuki; Takata, Tadafumi; Horaguchi, Toshihiro; Taga, Masatochi; Watanabe, Masaru; Okumura, Shin-Ichiro; Ozawa, Tomohiko; Yamamoto, Naotaka; Hamabe, Masaru

    2002-09-01

    We have developed a public science archive system, Subaru-Mitaka-Okayama-Kiso Archive system (SMOKA), as a successor of Mitaka-Okayama-Kiso Archive (MOKA) system. SMOKA provides an access to the public data of Subaru Telescope, the 188 cm telescope at Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, and the 105 cm Schmidt telescope at Kiso Observatory of the University of Tokyo. Since 1997, we have tried to compile the dictionary of FITS header keywords. The accomplishment of the dictionary enabled us to construct an unified public archive of the data obtained with various instruments at the telescopes. SMOKA has two kinds of user interfaces; Simple Search and Advanced Search. Novices can search data by simply selecting the name of the target with the Simple Search interface. Experts would prefer to set detailed constraints on the query, using the Advanced Search interface. In order to improve the efficiency of searching, several new features are implemented, such as archive status plots, calibration data search, an annotation system, and an improved Quick Look Image browsing system. We can efficiently develop and operate SMOKA by adopting a three-tier model for the system. Java servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP) are useful to separate the front-end presentation from the middle and back-end tiers.

  12. FE K EMISSION AND ABSORPTION FEATURES IN THE XMM-EPIC SPECTRUM OF THE SEYFERT GALAXY IC 4329A

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Markowitz, A.; Reeves, J. N.; Braito, V.

    2001-01-01

    We present a re-analysis of the XMM-Newton long-look of the X-ray bright Seyfert galaxy IC 4329a. The Fe K bandpass is dominated by two peaks, consistent with emission from neutral or near-neutral Fe Ka and KP. A relativistic diskline model whereby both peaks are the result of one doubly-peaked diskline profile is found to be a poor description of the data. Models using two relativistic disklines are found to describe the emission profile well. A low-inclination, moderately-relativistic dual-diskline model is possible if the contribution from narrow components, due to distant material, is small or absent. A high-inclination, moderately relativistic profile for each peak is possible if there are roughly equal contributions from both the broad and narrow components. Upper limits on Fe XXV and Fe XXVI emission and absorption at the systemic velocity of IC 4329a are obtained. We also present the results of RXTE monitoring of this source obtained so far; the combined XMM-Newton and RXTE data sets allow us to explore the time-resolved spectral behavior of this source on time scales ranging from hours to 2 years. We find no strong evidence for variability of the Fe Ka emission line on any time scale probed, likely due to the minimal level of continuum variability. We detect a narrow absorption line, at a energy of 7.68 keV in the rest frame of the source; its significance has been confirmed using Monte Carlo simulations. This feature is most likely due to absorption from Fe XXVI blueshifted to approximately 0.1c relative to the systemic velocity, making IC 4329a the lowest-redshift AGN known with a high-velocity, highly-ionized outflow component. As is often the case with similar outflows seen in high-luminosity quasars, the estimated mass outflow rate is larger than the inflow accretion rate, signaling that the outflow represents a substantial portion of the total energy budget of the AGN. The outflow could arise from a radiatively-driven disk wind, or it may be in the

  13. X-ray versus infrared selection of distant galaxy clusters: a case study using the XMM-LSS and SpARCS cluster samples

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willis, J. P.; Ramos-Ceja, M. E.; Muzzin, A.; Pacaud, F.; Yee, H. K. C.; Wilson, G.

    2018-07-01

    We present a comparison of two samples of z> 0.8 galaxy clusters selected using different wavelength-dependent techniques and examine the physical differences between them. We consider 18 clusters from the X-ray-selected XMM Large Scale Structure (LSS) distant cluster survey and 92 clusters from the optical-mid-infrared (MIR)-selected Spitzer Adaptation of the Red Sequence Cluster survey (SpARCS) cluster survey. Both samples are selected from the same approximately 9 sq deg sky area and we examine them using common XMM-Newton, Spitizer Wide-Area Infrared Extra-galactic (SWIRE) survey, and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Legacy Survey data. Clusters from each sample are compared employing aperture measures of X-ray and MIR emission. We divide the SpARCS distant cluster sample into three sub-samples: (i) X-ray bright, (ii) X-ray faint, MIR bright, and (iii) X-ray faint, MIR faint clusters. We determine that X-ray- and MIR-selected clusters display very similar surface brightness distributions of galaxy MIR light. In addition, the average location and amplitude of the galaxy red sequence as measured from stacked colour histograms is very similar in the X-ray- and MIR-selected samples. The sub-sample of X-ray faint, MIR bright clusters displays a distribution of brightest cluster galaxy-barycentre position offsets which extends to higher values than all other samples. This observation indicates that such clusters may exist in a more disturbed state compared to the majority of the distant cluster population sampled by XMM-LSS and SpARCS. This conclusion is supported by stacked X-ray images for the X-ray faint, MIR bright cluster sub-sample that display weak, centrally concentrated X-ray emission, consistent with a population of growing clusters accreting from an extended envelope of material.

  14. IGR J16318-4848: 7 Years of INTEGRAL Observations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Barragan, Laura; Wilms, Joern; kreykenbohm, Ingo; Hanke, manfred; Fuerst, Felix; Pottschmidt, Katja; Rothschild, Richard

    2011-01-01

    Since the discovery of IGR 116318-4848 in 2003 January, INTEGRAL has accumulated more than 5.8 Ms in IBIS/ISGRI. We present the first extensive analysis of the archival INTEGRAL data (IBIS/ISGRI, and JEM-X when available) for this source, together with the observations carried out by XMM-Newton (twice in 2003, and twice in 2004) and Suzaku (2006). The source is very variable in the long-term, with periods of low activity, where the source is almost not detected, and flares with a luminosity approximately 10 times greater than its average value (5.4 cts/s). IGR 116318-4848 is a HMXB containing a sgB[e] star and a compact object (most probably a neutron star) deeply embedded in the stellar wind of the mass donor. The variability of the source (also in the short-term) can be ascribed to the wind of the optical star being very clumpy. We study the variation of the spectral parameters in time scales of INTEGRAL revolutions. The photoelectric absorption is, with NH around 10(exp 24)/ square cm, unusually high. During brighter phases the strong K-alpha iron line known from XMM-Newton and Suzaku observations is also detectable with the JEM-X instrument.

  15. The XMM Large Scale Structure Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pierre, Marguerite

    2005-10-01

    We propose to complete, by an additional 5 deg2, the XMM-LSS Survey region overlying the Spitzer/SWIRE field. This field already has CFHTLS and Integral coverage, and will encompass about 10 deg2. The resulting multi-wavelength medium-depth survey, which complements XMM and Chandra deep surveys, will provide a unique view of large-scale structure over a wide range of redshift, and will show active galaxies in the full range of environments. The complete coverage by optical and IR surveys provides high-quality photometric redshifts, so that cosmological results can quickly be extracted. In the spirit of a Legacy survey, we will make the raw X-ray data immediately public. Multi-band catalogues and images will also be made available on short time scales.

  16. From SPICE to Map-Projection, the Planetary Science Archive Approach to Enhance Visibility and Usability of ESA's Space Science Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Besse, S.; Vallat, C.; Geiger, B.; Grieger, B.; Costa, M.; Barbarisi, I.

    2017-06-01

    The Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is the European Space Agency’s (ESA) repository of science data from all planetary science and exploration missions. The PSA provides access to scientific datasets through various interfaces at http://psa.esa.int.

  17. A historian among scientists: reflections on archiving the history of science in postcolonial India.

    PubMed

    Chowdhury, Indira

    2013-06-01

    How might we overcome the lack of archival resources while doing the history of science in India? Offering reflections on the nature of archival resources that could be collected for scientific institutions and the need for new interpretative tools with which to understand these resources, this essay argues for the use of oral history in order to understand the practices of science in the postcolonial context. The oral history of science can become a tool with which to understand the hidden interactions between the world of scientific institutions and the larger world of the postcolonial nation.

  18. Isaac Newton: Eighteenth-century Perspectives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hall, A. Rupert

    1999-05-01

    This new product of the ever-flourishing Newton industry seems a bit far-fetched at first sight: who but a few specialists would be interested in the historiography of Newton biography in the eighteenth century? On closer inspection, this book by one of the most important Newton scholars of our day turns out to be of interest to a wider audience as well. It contains several biographical sketches of Newton, written in the decades after his death. The two most important ones are the Eloge by the French mathematician Bernard de Fontenelle and the Italian scholar Paolo Frisi's Elogio. The latter piece was hitherto unavailable in English translation. Both articles are well-written, interesting and sometimes even entertaining. They give us new insights into the way Newton was revered throughout Europe and how not even the slightest blemish on his personality or work could be tolerated. An example is the way in which Newton's famous controversy with Leibniz is treated: Newton is without hesitation presented as the wronged party. Hall has provided very useful historical introductions to the memoirs as well as footnotes where needed. Among the other articles discussed is a well-known memoir by John Conduitt, who was married to Newton's niece. This memoir, substantial parts of which are included in this volume, has been a major source of personal information for Newton biographers up to this day. In a concluding chapter, Hall gives a very interesting overview of the later history of Newton biography, in which he describes the gradual change from adoration to a more critical approach in Newton's various biographers. In short, this is a very useful addition to the existing biographical literature on Newton. A J Kox

  19. Masses and activity of AB Doradus B a/b. The age of the AB Dor quadruple system revisited

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolter, U.; Czesla, S.; Fuhrmeister, B.; Robrade, J.; Engels, D.; Wieringa, M.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.

    2014-10-01

    We present a multiwavelength study of the close binary AB Dor Ba/b (Rst137B). Our study comprises astrometric orbit measurements, optical spectroscopy, X-ray and radio observations. Using all available adaptive optics images of AB Dor B taken with VLT/NACO from 2004 to 2009, we tightly constrain its orbital period to 360.6 ± 1.5 days. We present the first orbital solution of Rst 137B and estimate the combined mass of AB Dor Ba+b as 0.69+0.02-0.24 M⊙, slightly exceeding previous estimates based on IR photometry. Our determined orbital inclination of Rst 137B is close to the axial inclination of AB Dor A inferred from Doppler imaging. Our VLT/UVES spectra yield high rotational velocities of ≥30 km s-1 for both components Ba and Bb, in accord with previous measurements, which corresponds to rotation periods significantly shorter than one day. Our combined spectral model, using PHOENIX spectra, yields an effective temperature of 3310 ± 50 K for the primary and approximately 60 K less for the secondary. The optical spectra presumably cover a chromospheric flare and show that at least one component of Rst 137B is significantly active. Activity and weak variations are also found in our simultaneous XMM-Newton observations, while our ATCA radio data yield constant fluxes at the level of previous measurements. Using evolutionary models, our newly determined stellar parameters confirm that the age of Rst 137B is between 50 and 100 Myr. Based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile, 383.D-1002(A) and the ESO Science Archive Facility. Using data obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member states and NASA. Using data obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).

  20. The HELLAS2XMM survey. XI. Unveiling the nature of X-ray bright optically normal galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Civano, F.; Mignoli, M.; Comastri, A.; Vignali, C.; Fiore, F.; Pozzetti, L.; Brusa, M.; La Franca, F.; Matt, G.; Puccetti, S.; Cocchia, F.

    2007-12-01

    Aims:X-ray bright optically normal galaxies (XBONGs) constitute a small but significant fraction of hard X-ray selected sources in recent Chandra and XMM-Newton surveys. Even though several possibilities were proposed to explain why a relatively luminous hard X-ray source does not leave any significant signature of its presence in terms of optical emission lines, the nature of XBONGs is still subject of debate. We aim to better understand their nature by means of a multiwavelength and morphological analysis of a small sample of these sources. Methods: Good-quality photometric near-infrared data (ISAAC/VLT) of four low-redshift (z = 0.1{-}0.3) XBONGs, selected from the HELLAS2XMM survey, have been used to search for the presence of the putative nucleus, applying the surface-brightness decomposition technique through the least-squares fitting program GALFIT. Results: The surface brightness decomposition allows us to reveal a nuclear point-like source, likely to be responsible for the X-ray emission, in two out of the four sources. The results indicate that moderate amounts of gas and dust, covering a large solid angle (possibly 4π) at the nuclear source, combined with the low nuclear activity, may explain the lack of optical emission lines. The third XBONG is associated with an X-ray extended source and no nuclear excess is detected in the near infrared at the limits of our observations. The last source is associated to a close (d≤ 1 arcsec) double system and the fitting procedure cannot achieve a firm conclusion. Based on observations made at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile (ESO Programme ID 69.A-0554).

  1. Newton's Apple 13th Season. Free Educational Materials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Twin Cities Public Television, St. Paul, MN.

    This educational materials packet was designed to help teachers use the Public Broadcasting Service's (PBS) program called "Newton's Apple" in the classroom. This book contains information on how these materials support the latest science standards; an index to the 13th season lesson pages and an index to the past three seasons; a…

  2. The ExoMars science data archive: status and plans

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Heather, David

    2016-07-01

    The ExoMars program, a cooperation between ESA and Roscosmos, comprises two missions: the Trace Gas Orbiter, to be launched in 2016, and a rover and surface platform, due for launch in 2018. This will be the first time ESA has operated a rover, and the archiving and management of the science data to be returned will require a significant effort in development of the new Planetary Science Archive (PSA). The ExoMars mission data will also be formatted according to the new PDS4 Standards, based in XML, and this will be the first data of that format to be archived in the PSA. There are significant differences in the way in which a scientist will want to query, retrieve, and use data from a suite of rover instruments as opposed to remote sensing instrumentation from an orbiter. The PSA data holdings and the accompanying services are currently driven more towards the management of remote sensing data, so some significant changes will be needed. Among them will be a much closer link to the operational information than is currently available for our missions. NASA have a strong user community interaction with their analysts notebook, which provides detailed operational information to explain why, where and when operations took place. A similar approach will be needed for the future PSA, which is currently being designed. In addition to the archiving interface itself, there are differences with the overall archiving process being followed for ExoMars compared to previous ESA planetary missions. The Trace Gas Orbiter data pipelines for the first level of processing from telemetry to raw data, will be hosted directly by ESA's ground segment at ESAC in Madrid, where the archive itself resides. Data will have a continuous flow direct to the PSA, where after the given proprietary period, it will be directly released to the community via the new user interface. For the rover mission, the data pipelines are being developed by European industry, in close collaboration with ESA PSA

  3. The Cluster Science Archive: from Time Period to Physics Based Search

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Masson, A.; Escoubet, C. P.; Laakso, H. E.; Perry, C. H.

    2015-12-01

    Since 2000, the Cluster spacecraft relay the most detailed information on how the solar wind affects our geospace in three dimensions. Science output from Cluster is a leap forward in our knowledge of space plasma physics: the science behind space weather. It has been key in improving the modeling of the magnetosphere and understanding its various physical processes. Cluster data have enabled the publication of more than 2000 refereed papers and counting. This substantial scientific return is often attributed to the online availability of the Cluster data archive, now called the Cluster Science Archive (CSA). It is being developed by the ESAC Science Data Center (ESDC) team and maintained alongside other science ESA archives at ESAC (ESA Space Astronomy Center, Madrid, Spain). CSA is a public archive, which contains the entire set of Cluster high-resolution data, and other related products in a standard format and with a complete set of metadata. Since May 2015, it also contains data from the CNSA/ESA Double Star mission (2003-2008), a mission operated in conjunction with Cluster. The total amount of data format now exceeds 100 TB. Accessing CSA requires to be registered to enable user profiles and CSA accounts more than 1,500 users. CSA provides unique tools for visualizing its data including - on-demand particle distribution functions visualization - fast data browsing with more than 15TB of pre-generated plots - inventory plots It also offers command line capabilities (e.g. data access via Matlab or IDL softwares, data streaming). Despite its reliability, users can only request data for a specific time period while scientists often focus on specific regions or data signatures. For these reasons, a data-mining tool is being developed to do just that. It offers an interface to select data based not only on a time period but on various criteria including: key physical parameters, regions of space and spacecraft constellation geometry. The output of this tool is a

  4. Newton's Apple

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hendry, Archibald W.

    2007-01-01

    Isaac Newton may have seen an apple fall, but it was Robert Hooke who had a better idea of where it would land. No one really knows whether or not Isaac Newton actually saw an apple fall in his garden. Supposedly it took place in 1666, but it was a tale he told in his old age more than 60 years later, a time when his memory was failing and his…

  5. Development of public science archive system of Subaro Telescope. 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, Naotaka; Noda, Sachiyo; Taga, Masatoshi; Ozawa, Tomohiko; Horaguchi, Toshihiro; Okumura, Shin-Ichiro; Furusho, Reiko; Baba, Hajime; Yagi, Masafumi; Yasuda, Naoki; Takata, Tadafumi; Ichikawa, Shin-Ichi

    2003-09-01

    We report various improvements in a public science archive system, SMOKA (Subaru-Mitaka-Okayama-Kiso Archive system). We have developed a new interface to search observational data of minor bodies in the solar system. In addition, the other improvements (1) to search frames by specifying wavelength directly, (2) to find out calibration data set automatically, (3) to browse data on weather, humidity, and temperature, which provide information of image quality, (4) to provide quick-look images of OHS/CISCO and IRCS, and (5) to include the data from OAO HIDES (HIgh Dispersion Echelle Spectrograph), are also summarized.

  6. Challenges for Data Archival Centers in Evolving Environmental Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Y.; Cook, R. B.; Gu, L.; Santhana Vannan, S. K.; Beaty, T.

    2015-12-01

    Environmental science has entered into a big data era as enormous data about the Earth environment are continuously collected through field and airborne missions, remote sensing observations, model simulations, sensor networks, etc. An open-access and open-management data infrastructure for data-intensive science is a major grand challenge in global environmental research (BERAC, 2010). Such an infrastructure, as exemplified in EOSDIS, GEOSS, and NSF EarthCube, will provide a complete lifecycle of environmental data and ensures that data will smoothly flow among different phases of collection, preservation, integration, and analysis. Data archival centers, as the data integration units closest to data providers, serve as the source power to compile and integrate heterogeneous environmental data into this global infrastructure. This presentation discusses the interoperability challenges and practices of geosciences from the aspect of data archival centers, based on the operational experiences of the NASA-sponsored Oak Ridge National Laboratory Distributed Active Archive Center (ORNL DAAC) and related environmental data management activities. Specifically, we will discuss the challenges to 1) encourage and help scientists to more actively share data with the broader scientific community, so that valuable environmental data, especially those dark data collected by individual scientists in small independent projects, can be shared and integrated into the infrastructure to tackle big science questions; 2) curate heterogeneous multi-disciplinary data, focusing on the key aspects of identification, format, metadata, data quality, and semantics to make them ready to be plugged into a global data infrastructure. We will highlight data curation practices at the ORNL DAAC for global campaigns such as BOREAS, LBA, SAFARI 2000; and 3) enhance the capabilities to more effectively and efficiently expose and deliver "big" environmental data to broad range of users and systems

  7. Improving accessibility and discovery of ESA planetary data through the new planetary science archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macfarlane, A. J.; Docasal, R.; Rios, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Saiz, J.; Vallejo, F.; Besse, S.; Arviset, C.; Barthelemy, M.; De Marchi, G.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; Heather, D.; Lim, T.; Martinez, S.; Vallat, C.

    2018-01-01

    The Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is the European Space Agency's (ESA) repository of science data from all planetary science and exploration missions. The PSA provides access to scientific data sets through various interfaces at http://psa.esa.int. Mostly driven by the evolution of the PDS standards which all new ESA planetary missions shall follow and the need to update the interfaces to the archive, the PSA has undergone an important re-engineering. In order to maximise the scientific exploitation of ESA's planetary data holdings, significant improvements have been made by utilising the latest technologies and implementing widely recognised open standards. To facilitate users in handling and visualising the many products stored in the archive which have spatial data associated, the new PSA supports Geographical Information Systems (GIS) by implementing the standards approved by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The modernised PSA also attempts to increase interoperability with the international community by implementing recognised planetary science specific protocols such as the PDAP (Planetary Data Access Protocol) and EPN-TAP (EuroPlanet-Table Access Protocol). In this paper we describe some of the methods by which the archive may be accessed and present the challenges that are being faced in consolidating data sets of the older PDS3 version of the standards with the new PDS4 deliveries into a single data model mapping to ensure transparent access to the data for users and services whilst maintaining a high performance.

  8. Newton, Goethe and the process of perception: an approach to design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Platts, Jim

    2006-06-01

    Whereas Newton traced a beam of white light passing through a prism and fanning out into the colours of the rainbow as it was refracted, Goethe looked through a prism and was concerned with understanding what his eye subjectively saw. He created a sequence of experiments which produced what appeared to be anomalies in Newton's theory. What he was carefully illustrating concerns limitations accepted when following a scientifically objective approach. Newton was concerned with the description of 'facts' derived from the analysis of observations. Goethe was concerned with the synthesis of meaning. He then went on to describe subjective techniques for training 'the mind's eye' to work efficiently in the subjective world of the imagination. Derided as 'not science', what he was actually describing is the skill which is central to creative design.

  9. The Geometry of the Stellar Winds and Shock Structure in V444 Cyg

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hoffman, Jennifer

    Given the importance of mass loss in the evolution of massive stars, it is imperative that we improve our understanding of the processes by which the outer layers of a star may be lost to its environment. The eclipsing nature of the Wolf-Rayet binary star V444 Cyg provides us with a unique opportunity to study the detailed characteristics of the radiatively driven mass loss in colliding-wind systems. Our multi-technique study combines X-ray spectroscopic and optical spectropolarimetric methods to describe the three-dimensional nature of the shock and wind structure in V444 Cyg. In support of this project, we have won new X-ray observations of V444 Cyg using the XMM-Newton telescope through the Guest Observer program in AO-11 (proposal ID #069281). We will combine these new data with six archival XMM-Newton observations and with optical spectropolarimetry obtained with the newly refurbished Half-Wave Spectropolarimeter (HPOL) at Ritter Observatory in Toledo, OH and archival data from both HPOL and the ESPaDOnS instrument at CFHT. Detailed X-ray light curve analysis and modeling of the X-ray spectra will constrain the location of the wind collision region and the mass-loss properties of the system. Polarized light curves in optical broad bands and emission lines combined with spectropolarimetric line profile analysis and radiative transfer simulations will trace the geometrical structure of various emission and scattering regions within the winds. Joint analysis of these two data sets will allow us to construct a self-consistent, physically realistic three-dimensional model of the complex winds in V444 Cyg and quantify its mass loss characteristics. We request support for data analysis and interpretation of our four new XMM-Newton observations. This will consist primarily of salaries for program personnel, who will analyze the new data in conjunction with previous X-ray results, carry out detailed radiation-hydrodynamic simulations to investigate the effect of

  10. Bohlin transformation: the hidden symmetry that connects Hooke to Newton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saggio, Maria Luisa

    2013-01-01

    Hooke's name is familiar to students of mechanics thanks to the law of force that bears his name. Less well-known is the influence his findings had on the founder of mechanics, Isaac Newton. In a lecture given some twenty years ago, W Arnol'd pointed out the outstanding contribution to science made by Hooke, and also noted the controversial issue of the attribution of important discoveries to Newton that were actually inspired by Hooke. It therefore seems ironic that the two most famous force laws, named after Hooke and Newton, are two geometrical aspects of the same law. This relationship, together with other illuminating aspects of Newtonian mechanics, is described in Arnol'd's book and is worth remembering in standard physics courses. In this didactical paper the duality of the two forces is expounded and an account of the more recent contributions to the subject is given.

  11. Seeing Red and Shooting Blanks: A Study of Red Quasars and Blank Field X-Ray Sources

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Oliversen, Ronald J. (Technical Monitor); Elvis, Martin

    2004-01-01

    One type of "Blank Field X-ray Source" is now being seen in deep Chandra and XMM-Newton surveys. These are the newly dubbed "XBONGs" (X-ray Bright, Optically Normal Galaxies). The study of the brighter counterparts from ROSAT and XMM- Newton serendipitous surveys is therefore of renewed interest and topicality. We continue to define the properties of the ROSAT sample which is the basis of this grant. We expect to publish the SEDs of these sources soon.

  12. The very faint hard state of the persistent neutron star X-ray binary SLX 1737-282 near the Galactic Centre

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Armas Padilla, M.; Ponti, G.; De Marco, B.; Muñoz-Darias, T.; Haberl, F.

    2018-01-01

    We report on a detailed study of the spectral and temporal properties of the neutron star low-mass X-ray binary SLX 1737-282, which is located only ∼1° away from Sgr A*. The system is expected to have a short orbital period, even within the ultracompact regime, given its persistent nature at low X-ray luminosities and the long duration thermonuclear burst that it has displayed. We have analysed a Suzaku (18 ks) observation and an XMM-Newton (39 ks) observation taken 7 yr apart. We infer (0.5-10 keV) X-ray luminosities in the range of 3-6 × 1035ergs-1, in agreement with previous findings. The spectra are well described by a relatively cool (kTbb = 0.5 keV) blackbody component plus a Comptonized emission component with Γ ∼ 1.5-1.7. These values are consistent with the source being in a faint hard state, as confirmed by the ∼20 per cent fractional root-mean-square amplitude of the fast variability (0.1-7 Hz) inferred from the XMM-Newton data. The electron temperature of the corona is ≳7 keV for the Suzaku observation, but it is measured to be as low as ∼2 keV in the XMM-Newton data at higher flux. The latter is significantly lower than expected for systems in the hard state. We searched for X-ray pulsations and imposed an upper limit to their semi-amplitude of 2 per cent (0.001-7 Hz). Finally, we investigated the origin of the low-frequency variability emission present in the XMM-Newton data and ruled out an absorption dip origin. This constraint the orbital inclination of the system to ≲65° unless the orbital period is longer than 11 h (i.e. the length of the XMM-Newton observation).

  13. SPIDERS: selection of spectroscopic targets using AGN candidates detected in all-sky X-ray surveys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dwelly, T.; Salvato, M.; Merloni, A.; Brusa, M.; Buchner, J.; Anderson, S. F.; Boller, Th.; Brandt, W. N.; Budavári, T.; Clerc, N.; Coffey, D.; Del Moro, A.; Georgakakis, A.; Green, P. J.; Jin, C.; Menzel, M.-L.; Myers, A. D.; Nandra, K.; Nichol, R. C.; Ridl, J.; Schwope, A. D.; Simm, T.

    2017-07-01

    SPIDERS (SPectroscopic IDentification of eROSITA Sources) is a Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV (SDSS-IV) survey running in parallel to the Extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) cosmology project. SPIDERS will obtain optical spectroscopy for large numbers of X-ray-selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galaxy cluster members detected in wide-area eROSITA, XMM-Newton and ROSAT surveys. We describe the methods used to choose spectroscopic targets for two sub-programmes of SPIDERS X-ray selected AGN candidates detected in the ROSAT All Sky and the XMM-Newton Slew surveys. We have exploited a Bayesian cross-matching algorithm, guided by priors based on mid-IR colour-magnitude information from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer survey, to select the most probable optical counterpart to each X-ray detection. We empirically demonstrate the high fidelity of our counterpart selection method using a reference sample of bright well-localized X-ray sources collated from XMM-Newton, Chandra and Swift-XRT serendipitous catalogues, and also by examining blank-sky locations. We describe the down-selection steps which resulted in the final set of SPIDERS-AGN targets put forward for spectroscopy within the eBOSS/TDSS/SPIDERS survey, and present catalogues of these targets. We also present catalogues of ˜12 000 ROSAT and ˜1500 XMM-Newton Slew survey sources that have existing optical spectroscopy from SDSS-DR12, including the results of our visual inspections. On completion of the SPIDERS programme, we expect to have collected homogeneous spectroscopic redshift information over a footprint of ˜7500 deg2 for >85 per cent of the ROSAT and XMM-Newton Slew survey sources having optical counterparts in the magnitude range 17 < r < 22.5, producing a large and highly complete sample of bright X-ray-selected AGN suitable for statistical studies of AGN evolution and clustering.

  14. EXTraS: Exploring the X-ray Transient and variable Sky

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    De Luca, A.; Salvaterra, R.; Tiengo, A.; D'Agostino, D.; Watson, M.; Haberl, F.; Wilms, J.

    2017-10-01

    The EXTraS project extracted all temporal domain information buried in the whole database collected by the EPIC cameras onboard the XMM-Newton mission. This included a search and characterisation of variability, both periodic and aperiodic, in hundreds of thousands of sources spanning more than eight orders of magnitude in time scale and six orders of magnitude in flux, as well as a search for fast transients, missed by standard image analysis. Phenomenological classification of variable sources, based on X-ray and multiwavelength information, has also been performed. All results and products of EXTraS are made available to the scientific community through a web public data archive. A dedicated science gateway will allow scientists to apply EXTraS pipelines on new observations. EXTraS is the most comprehensive analysis of variability, on the largest ever sample of soft X-ray sources. The resulting archive and tools disclose an enormous scientific discovery space to the community, with applications ranging from the search for rare events to population studies, with impact on the study of virtually all astrophysical source classes. EXTraS, funded within the EU/FP7 framework, is carried out by a collaboration including INAF (Italy), IUSS (Italy), CNR/IMATI (Italy), University of Leicester (UK), MPE (Germany) and ECAP (Germany).

  15. Integrating Scientific Methods and Knowledge into the Teaching of Newton's Theory of Gravitation: An Instructional Sequence for Teachers' and Students' Nature of Science Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Develaki, Maria

    2012-01-01

    The availability of teaching units on the nature of science (NOS) can reinforce classroom instruction in the subject, taking into account the related deficiencies in textbook material and teacher training. We give a sequence of teaching units in which the teaching of Newton's gravitational theory is used as a basis for reflecting on the…

  16. Stewardship of NASA's Earth Science Data and Ensuring Long-Term Active Archives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramapriyan, Hampapuram K.; Behnke, Jeanne

    2016-01-01

    Program, NASA has followed an open data policy, with non-discriminatory access to data with no period of exclusive access. NASA has well-established processes for assigning and or accepting datasets into one of 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) that are parts of EOSDIS. EOSDIS has been evolving through several information technology cycles, adapting to hardware and software changes in the commercial sector. NASA is responsible for maintaining Earth science data as long as users are interested in using them for research and applications, which is well beyond the life of the data gathering missions. For science data to remain useful over long periods of time, steps must be taken to preserve: (1) Data bits with no corruption, (2) Discoverability and access, (3) Readability, (4) Understandability, (5) Usability' and (6). Reproducibility of results. NASAs Earth Science data and Information System (ESDIS) Project, along with the 12 EOSDIS Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), has made significant progress in each of these areas over the last decade, and continues to evolve its active archive capabilities. Particular attention is being paid in recent years to ensure that the datasets are published in an easily accessible and citable manner through a unified metadata model, a common metadata repository (CMR), a coherent view through the earthdata.gov website, and assignment of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) with well-designed landing product information pages.

  17. Molecules in the transition disk orbiting T Chamaeleontis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sacco, G. G.; Kastner, J. H.; Forveille, T.; Principe, D.; Montez, R.; Zuckerman, B.; Hily-Blant, P.

    2014-01-01

    disk gas is higher than in the interstellar medium. However, an X-ray absorption model appropriate for the physical and chemical conditions of a circumstellar disk is required to address this issue. Conclusions: Our results confirm that pre-main-sequence stars older than ~5 Myr retain cold molecular disks when accreting, and that those relatively evolved disks display similar physical and chemical properties. Based on submillimeter and X-ray observations. Submillimeter observations have been collected at the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile, with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment APEX (Prog. ID 088.C-0441 and E-089.C-0518A). X-ray archival observations used in this paper have been obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA member states and NASA.

  18. NuSTAR Reveals Extreme Absorption in z < 0.5 Type 2 Quasars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lansbury, G. B.; Gandhi, P.; Alexander, D. M.; Assef, R. J.; Aird, J.; Annuar, A.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Baloković, M.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Brandt, W. N.; Brightman, M.; Christensen, F. E.; Civano, F.; Comastri, A.; Craig, W. W.; Del Moro, A.; Grefenstette, B. W.; Hailey, C. J.; Harrison, F. A.; Hickox, R. C.; Koss, M.; LaMassa, S. M.; Luo, B.; Puccetti, S.; Stern, D.; Treister, E.; Vignali, C.; Zappacosta, L.; Zhang, W. W.

    2015-08-01

    The intrinsic column density (NH) distribution of quasars is poorly known. At the high obscuration end of the quasar population and for redshifts z < 1, the X-ray spectra can only be reliably characterized using broad-band measurements that extend to energies above 10 keV. Using the hard X-ray observatory NuSTAR, along with archival Chandra and XMM-Newton data, we study the broad-band X-ray spectra of nine optically selected (from the SDSS), candidate Compton-thick (NH > 1.5 × 1024 cm-2) type 2 quasars (CTQSO2s); five new NuSTAR observations are reported herein, and four have been previously published. The candidate CTQSO2s lie at z < 0.5, have observed [O iii] luminosities in the range 8.4\\lt {log}({L}[{{O} {{III}}]}/{L}⊙ )\\lt 9.6, and show evidence for extreme, Compton-thick absorption when indirect absorption diagnostics are considered. Among the nine candidate CTQSO2s, five are detected by NuSTAR in the high-energy (8-24 keV) band: two are weakly detected at the ≈3σ confidence level and three are strongly detected with sufficient counts for spectral modeling (≳90 net source counts at 8-24 keV). For these NuSTAR-detected sources direct (i.e., X-ray spectral) constraints on the intrinsic active galactic nucleus properties are feasible, and we measure column densities ≈2.5-1600 times higher and intrinsic (unabsorbed) X-ray luminosities ≈10-70 times higher than pre-NuSTAR constraints from Chandra and XMM-Newton. Assuming the NuSTAR-detected type 2 quasars are representative of other Compton-thick candidates, we make a correction to the NH distribution for optically selected type 2 quasars as measured by Chandra and XMM-Newton for 39 objects. With this approach, we predict a Compton-thick fraction of {f}{CT}={36}-12+14 %, although higher fractions (up to 76%) are possible if indirect absorption diagnostics are assumed to be reliable.

  19. A Detailed Study of Chemical Enrichment History of Galaxy Clusters out to Virial Radius

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loewenstein, Michael

    The origin of the metal enrichment of the intracluster medium (ICM) represents a fundamental problem in extragalactic astrophysics, with implications for our understanding of how stars and galaxies form, the nature of Type Ia supernova (SNIa) progenitors, and the thermal history of the ICM. These heavy elements are ultimately synthesized by supernova (SN) explosions; however, the details of the sites of metal production and mechanisms that transport metals to the ICM remain unclear. To make progress, accurate abundance profiles for multiple elements extending from the cluster core out to the virial radius (r180) are required for a significant cluster sample. We propose an X-ray spectroscopic study of a carefully-chosen sample of archival Suzaku and XMM-Newton observations of 23 clusters: XMM-Newton data probe the cluster temperature and abundances out to (0.5-1)r500, while Suzaku data probe the cluster outskirts. A method devised by our team to utilize all elements with emission lines in the X-ray bandpass to measure the relative contributions of supernova explosions by direct modeling of their X-ray spectra will be applied in order to constrain the demographics of the enriching supernova population. In addition we will conduct a stacking analysis of our already existing Suzaku and XMM-Newton cluster spectra to search for weak emssion lines that are important SN diagnostics, and to look for trends with cluster mass and redshift. The funding we propose here will also support the data analysis of our recent Suzaku observations of the archetypal cluster A3112 (200 ks each on the core and outskirts). Our data analysis, intepreted using theoretical models we have developed, will enable us to constrain the star formation history, SN demographics, and nature of SNIa progenitors associated with galaxy cluster stellar populations - and, hence, directly addresess NASA s Strategic Objective 2.4.2 in Astrophysics that aims to improve the understanding of how the Universe works

  20. Giant Black Hole Rips Apart Star

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-02-01

    hole, ruling out other possible astronomical explanations. In the future, searches using Chandra, XMM-Newton and survey instruments should find many other tidal disruptions. Detailed studies with future observatories like Constellation-X should teach us about the extreme physics around supermassive black holes. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for the Office of Space Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington. Northrop Grumman of Redondo Beach, Calif., formerly TRW, Inc., was the prime development contractor for the observatory. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls science and flight operations from the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Mass. XMM-Newton is an ESA science mission managed at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands for the Directorate of the Scientific Programme. Additional information and images are available at: http://chandra.harvard.edu and http://chandra.nasa.gov

  1. Sometimes "Newton's Method" Always "Cycles"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Latulippe, Joe; Switkes, Jennifer

    2012-01-01

    Are there functions for which Newton's method cycles for all non-trivial initial guesses? We construct and solve a differential equation whose solution is a real-valued function that two-cycles under Newton iteration. Higher-order cycles of Newton's method iterates are explored in the complex plane using complex powers of "x." We find a class of…

  2. Derivation of photometric redshifts for the 3XMM catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Georgantopoulos, I.; Corral, A.; Mountrichas, G.; Ruiz, A.; Masoura, V.; Fotopoulou, S.; Watson, M.

    2017-10-01

    We present the results from our ESA Prodex project that aims to derive photometric redshifts for the 3XMM catalogue. The 3XMM DR-6 offers the largest X-ray survey, containing 470,000 unique sources over 1000 sq. degrees. We cross-correlate the X-ray positions with optical and near-IR catalogues using Bayesian statistics. The optical catalogue used so far is the SDSS while currently we are employing the recently released PANSTARRS catalogue. In the near IR we use the Viking, VHS, UKIDS surveys and also the WISE W1 and W2 filters. The estimation of photometric redshifts is based on the TPZ software. The training sample is based on X-ray selected samples with available SDSS spectroscopy. We present here the results for the 40,000 3XMM sources with available SDSS counterparts. Our analysis provides very reliable photometric redshifts with sigma(mad)=0.05 and a fraction of outliers of 8% for the optically extended sources. We discuss the wide range of applications that are feasible using this unprecedented resource.

  3. The changing source of X-ray reflection in the radio-intermediate Seyfert 1 galaxy III Zw 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonzalez, A. G.; Waddell, S. G. H.; Gallo, L. C.

    2018-03-01

    We report on X-ray observations of the radio-intermediate, X-ray bright Seyfert 1 galaxy, III Zw 2, obtained with XMM-Newton, Suzaku, and Swift over the past 17 yr. The source brightness varies significantly over yearly time-scales, but more modestly over periods of days. Pointed observations with XMM-Newton in 2000 and Suzaku in 2011 show spectral differences despite comparable X-ray fluxes. The Suzaku spectra are consistent with a power-law continuum and a narrow Gaussian emission feature at ˜6.4 keV, whereas the earlier XMM-Newton spectrum requires a broader Gaussian profile and soft-excess below ˜2 keV. A potential interpretation is that the primary power-law emission, perhaps from a jet base, preferentially illuminates the inner accretion disc in 2000, but the distant torus in 2011. The interpretation could be consistent with the hypothesized precessing radio jet in III Zw 2 that may have originated from disc instabilities due to an ongoing merging event.

  4. NuSTAR view of the central region of M31

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stiele, H.; Kong, A. K. H.

    2018-04-01

    Our neighbouring large spiral galaxy, the Andromeda galaxy (M31 or NGC 224), is an ideal target to study the X-ray source population of a nearby galaxy. NuSTAR observed the central region of M31 in 2015 and allows studying the population of X-ray point sources at energies higher than 10 keV. Based on the source catalogue of the large XMM-Newton survey of M31, we identified counterparts to the XMM-Newton sources in the NuSTAR data. The NuSTAR data only contain sources of a brightness comparable (or even brighter) than the selected sources that have been detected in XMM-Newton data. We investigate hardness ratios, spectra, and long-term light curves of individual sources obtained from NuSTAR data. Based on our spectral studies, we suggest four sources as possible X-ray binary candidates. The long-term light curves of seven sources that have been observed more than once show low (but significant) variability.

  5. Use of Schema on Read in Earth Science Data Archives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hegde, Mahabaleshwara; Smit, Christine; Pilone, Paul; Petrenko, Maksym; Pham, Long

    2017-01-01

    Traditionally, NASA Earth Science data archives have file-based storage using proprietary data file formats, such as HDF and HDF-EOS, which are optimized to support fast and efficient storage of spaceborne and model data as they are generated. The use of file-based storage essentially imposes an indexing strategy based on data dimensions. In most cases, NASA Earth Science data uses time as the primary index, leading to poor performance in accessing data in spatial dimensions. For example, producing a time series for a single spatial grid cell involves accessing a large number of data files. With exponential growth in data volume due to the ever-increasing spatial and temporal resolution of the data, using file-based archives poses significant performance and cost barriers to data discovery and access. Storing and disseminating data in proprietary data formats imposes an additional access barrier for users outside the mainstream research community. At the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information Services Center (GES DISC), we have evaluated applying the schema-on-read principle to data access and distribution. We used Apache Parquet to store geospatial data, and have exposed data through Amazon Web Services (AWS) Athena, AWS Simple Storage Service (S3), and Apache Spark. Using the schema-on-read approach allows customization of indexing spatially or temporally to suit the data access pattern. The storage of data in open formats such as Apache Parquet has widespread support in popular programming languages. A wide range of solutions for handling big data lowers the access barrier for all users. This presentation will discuss formats used for data storage, frameworks with This presentation will discuss formats used for data storage, frameworks with support for schema-on-read used for data access, and common use cases covering data usage patterns seen in a geospatial data archive.

  6. Use of Schema on Read in Earth Science Data Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Petrenko, M.; Hegde, M.; Smit, C.; Pilone, P.; Pham, L.

    2017-12-01

    Traditionally, NASA Earth Science data archives have file-based storage using proprietary data file formats, such as HDF and HDF-EOS, which are optimized to support fast and efficient storage of spaceborne and model data as they are generated. The use of file-based storage essentially imposes an indexing strategy based on data dimensions. In most cases, NASA Earth Science data uses time as the primary index, leading to poor performance in accessing data in spatial dimensions. For example, producing a time series for a single spatial grid cell involves accessing a large number of data files. With exponential growth in data volume due to the ever-increasing spatial and temporal resolution of the data, using file-based archives poses significant performance and cost barriers to data discovery and access. Storing and disseminating data in proprietary data formats imposes an additional access barrier for users outside the mainstream research community. At the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information Services Center (GES DISC), we have evaluated applying the "schema-on-read" principle to data access and distribution. We used Apache Parquet to store geospatial data, and have exposed data through Amazon Web Services (AWS) Athena, AWS Simple Storage Service (S3), and Apache Spark. Using the "schema-on-read" approach allows customization of indexing—spatial or temporal—to suit the data access pattern. The storage of data in open formats such as Apache Parquet has widespread support in popular programming languages. A wide range of solutions for handling big data lowers the access barrier for all users. This presentation will discuss formats used for data storage, frameworks with support for "schema-on-read" used for data access, and common use cases covering data usage patterns seen in a geospatial data archive.

  7. Coronal Emission from dG Halo Stars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor); Harnden, F. R.

    2005-01-01

    The halo dG star HD 114762 was observed with the XMM-Newton satellite on 28-29 June 2004, during orbit 834, and the data were processed using the XMM-Newton Science Analysis System (SAS), version 6.0.0. Somewhat surprisingly, the target was NOT detected during this approx.30 ks exposure, which yielded instead a count rate upper limit of less than 0.0041 cts/s. We computed an X-ray flux upper limit by assuming a Raymond-Smith thermal spectrum of coronal temperature 1 million degrees K, typical of quiet old stars, a hydrogen column density of 2-10$^{19)$ cm$^{-2)$ and sub-solar abundances of 0.2. Our calculated X-ray luminosity upper limit in the 0.25-7.8 keV band is L$_x < 4.95 $\\time$10$^{26)$ erg/s, where we have assumed a stellar distance of 28 pc. This relatively low upper limit has implications for the capability of metal poor stars to host solar-like dynamos, as we will report in a forthcoming paper (now in preparation).

  8. Amateur Planetary Radio Data Archived for Science and Education: Radio Jove

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thieman, J.; Cecconi, B.; Sky, J.; Garcia, L. N.; King, T. A.; Higgins, C. A.; Fung, S. F.

    2015-12-01

    The Radio Jove Project is a hands-on educational activity in which students, teachers, and the general public build simple radio telescopes, usually from a kit, to observe single frequency decameter wavelength radio emissions from Jupiter, the Sun, the galaxy, and the Earth usually with simple dipole antennas. Some of the amateur observers have upgraded their receivers to spectrographs and their antennas have become more sophisticated as well. The data records compare favorably to more sophisticated professional radio telescopes such as the Long Wavelength Array (LWA) and the Nancay Decametric Array. Since these data are often carefully calibrated and recorded around the clock in widely scattered locations they represent a valuable database useful not only to amateur radio astronomers but to the professional science community as well. Some interesting phenomena have been noted in the data that are of interest to the professionals familiar with such records. The continuous monitoring of radio emissions from Jupiter could serve as useful "ground truth" data during the coming Juno mission's radio observations of Jupiter. Radio Jove has long maintained an archive for thousands of Radio Jove observations, but the database was intended for use by the Radio Jove participants only. Now, increased scientific interest in the use of these data has resulted in several proposals to translate the data into a science community data format standard and store the data in professional archives. Progress is being made in translating Radio Jove data to the Common Data Format (CDF) and also in generating new observations in that format as well. Metadata describing the Radio Jove data would follow the Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) standard. The proposed archive to be used for long term preservation would be the Planetary Data System (PDS). Data sharing would be achieved through the PDS and the Paris Astronomical Data Centre (PADC) and the Virtual Wave Observatory (VWO

  9. Isaac Newton: Man, Myth, and Mathematics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rickey, V. Frederick

    1987-01-01

    This article was written in part to celebrate the anniversaries of landmark mathematical works by Newton and Descartes. It's other purpose is to dispel some myths about Sir Isaac Newton and to encourage readers to read Newton's works. (PK)

  10. From Newton to Einstein.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryder, L. H.

    1987-01-01

    Discusses the history of scientific thought in terms of the theories of inertia and absolute space, relativity and gravitation. Describes how Sir Isaac Newton used the work of earlier scholars in his theories and how Albert Einstein used Newton's theories in his. (CW)

  11. Cities at Night: Citizens science to rescue an archive for the science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sánchez de Miguel, Alejandro; Gomez Castaño, José; Lombraña, Daniel; Zamorano, Jaime; Gallego, Jesús

    2015-08-01

    Since 2003, astronauts have been taking photos from the International Space Station. Many of these images have been published on the websites of participating agencies or the Twitter accounts of the astronauts. However, most of the images taken by astronauts have not been published remaining, on archive without being shown to the world. This ISS archive of nighttime images are not being used for conducting scientific projects because of the difficulty of cataloging. The project Citiesatnight have managed to scientificly prepare these images. The main goal of the project is to characterize light pollution in colors, that is fundamental to track the impact of the new LED lighting on the light pollution. However, other science can be benefited from the project as the study of meteors, auroras studies and general knowledge of these images. The current status of the project, methodology and ideas for exploiting the same platform for other projects is presented. The current results of the project are the complete documentation of all high resolution images archive in just one month.Until now, more tha 132.000 images have been catalogues (30.000 of thouse are cities), more than 2800 images have been located, 1000 have been georeferenced. Also several meteors have been detected on non dedicated pictures. More tha 16.000 have been participated.

  12. Inexact adaptive Newton methods

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bertiger, W.I.; Kelsey, F.J.

    1985-02-01

    The Inexact Adaptive Newton method (IAN) is a modification of the Adaptive Implicit Method/sup 1/ (AIM) with improved Newton convergence. Both methods simplify the Jacobian at each time step by zeroing coefficients in regions where saturations are changing slowly. The methods differ in how the diagonal block terms are treated. On test problems with up to 3,000 cells, IAN consistently saves approximately 30% of the CPU time when compared to the fully implicit method. AIM shows similar savings on some problems, but takes as much CPU time as fully implicit on other test problems due to poor Newton convergence.

  13. NASA's Astrophysics Data Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hasan, H.; Hanisch, R.; Bredekamp, J.

    2000-09-01

    The NASA Office of Space Science has established a series of archival centers where science data acquired through its space science missions is deposited. The availability of high quality data to the general public through these open archives enables the maximization of science return of the flight missions. The Astrophysics Data Centers Coordinating Council, an informal collaboration of archival centers, coordinates data from five archival centers distiguished primarily by the wavelength range of the data deposited there. Data are available in FITS format. An overview of NASA's data centers and services is presented in this paper. A standard front-end modifyer called `Astrowbrowse' is described. Other catalog browsers and tools include WISARD and AMASE supported by the National Space Scince Data Center, as well as ISAIA, a follow on to Astrobrowse.

  14. EXTraS discovery of a 1.2-s X-ray pulsar in M31

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Esposito, P.; Israel, G.; Belfiore, A.; Novara, G.; Sidoli, L.; Rodriguez Castillo, G.; De Luca, A.; Tiengo, A.; Haberl, F.; Salvaterra, R.

    2017-10-01

    A systematic search for periodic signals in the XMM-Newton's EPIC archive carried out within the EXTraS project resulted in the discovery of a 1.2-s flux modulation in 3XMM J004301.4+413017. It is the first accreting neutron star in M31 for which the spin period has been detected. Besides this distinction, 3XMM J0043 proved to be an interesting system. Doppler shifts of the spin modulation revealed an orbital motion with period of 1.27 d and the analysis of optical data shows that, while the source is likely associated to a globular cluster, a counterpart with V ˜ 22 outside the cluster cannot be excluded. The emission of the pulsar appears rather hard (most data are described by a power law with photon index <1) and, assuming the distance to M31, the 0.3-10 keV luminosity was variable, from ˜3×10^{37} to 2×10^{38} erg/s. Based on this, we discuss two main possible scenarios for 3X J0043: a peculiar low-mass X-ray binary, perhaps similar to 4U 1822-37 or 4U 1626-67, or an intermediate-mass X-ray binary akin Her X-1.

  15. NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive (IRSA) in the 2020s.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Desai, Vandana; Rebull, Luisa M.; IRSA Team

    2018-06-01

    I will discuss challenges faced by IRSA in the next decade due to changes in our user base: the dissolution of wavelength boundaries among astronomers, and the education of astronomers as data scientists. While the fraction of astronomers who use infrared data has increased drastically in the era of Spitzer, Herschel, and WISE, most people who do science with those data sets don’t use infrared data exclusively or identify as “Infrared astronomers”. Our archive, and others, need to be responsive to the needs of an increasingly multiwavelength community, and those exploring time domain astronomy. That means making the archives interlink seamlessly, while preserving expert knowledge so that data don’t get misused. As astronomical data sets grow in volume, users will increasingly expect server side resources, including both storage and analysis resources. These expectations come with a host of ramifications, from cost to security. Our archives must be built to satisfy the needs of both the power user and the beginning astronomer. I will discuss how IRSA plans to meet the evolving needs of our user community.

  16. Three Good Reasons for Celebrating at the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2000-12-01

    Great Demand for Data from New "Virtual Observatory" Summary Due to a happy coincidence, the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility is celebrating three different milestones at the same time: * its 10th anniversary since the establishment in 1991 * the 10,000th request for data , and * the signing-up of active user number 2000 . This Archive contains over 8 Terabytes (1 Terabyte = 1 million million bytes) of valuable observational data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) and other ESO telescopes . Its success paves the way for the establishment of "Virtual Observatories" from which first-class data can be obtained by astronomers all over the world. This greatly enhances the opportunities for more (young) scientists to participate in front-line research. PR Photo 34/00 : Front-page of a new brochure, describing the ESO/ST-ECF Science Archive Facility. Just 10 years ago, on the 1st of January 1991, the ESO/ST-ECF (European Southern Observatory/Space Telescope-European Coordinating Facility) Science Archive Facility opened. It has since served the astronomical community with gigabyte after gigabyte of high-quality astronomical data from some of the world's leading telescopes. The Archive, which is located in Garching, just outside Munich (Germany), contains data from the 2.4-m NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope , as well as from several ESO telescopes: the four 8.2-m Unit Telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory , and the 3.5-m New Technology Telescope (NTT) , the 3.6-m telescope and the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at La Silla. The Archive is a continuously developing project - in terms of amounts of data stored, the number of users and in particular because of the current dramatic development of innovative techniques for data handling and storage. In the year 2000 more than 2 Terabytes (2000 Gigabytes) of data were distributed to users worldwide. The archiving of VLT data has been described in ESO PR

  17. SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS OF TYPE 1 ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE COSMOS SURVEY. I. THE XMM-COSMOS SAMPLE

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Elvis, M.; Hao, H.; Civano, F.

    2012-11-01

    The 'Cosmic Evolution Survey' (COSMOS) enables the study of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) because of the deep coverage and rich sampling of frequencies from X-ray to radio. Here we present an SED catalog of 413 X-ray (XMM-Newton)-selected type 1 (emission line FWHM > 2000 km s{sup -1}) AGNs with Magellan, SDSS, or VLT spectrum. The SEDs are corrected for Galactic extinction, broad emission line contributions, constrained variability, and host galaxy contribution. We present the mean SED and the dispersion SEDs after the above corrections in the rest-frame 1.4 GHz to 40 keV, and showmore » examples of the variety of SEDs encountered. In the near-infrared to optical (rest frame {approx}8 {mu}m-4000 A), the photometry is complete for the whole sample and the mean SED is derived from detections only. Reddening and host galaxy contamination could account for a large fraction of the observed SED variety. The SEDs are all available online.« less

  18. Long Term Temporal and Spectral Evolution of Point Sources in Nearby Elliptical Galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durmus, D.; Guver, T.; Hudaverdi, M.; Sert, H.; Balman, Solen

    2016-06-01

    We present the results of an archival study of all the point sources detected in the lines of sight of the elliptical galaxies NGC 4472, NGC 4552, NGC 4649, M32, Maffei 1, NGC 3379, IC 1101, M87, NGC 4477, NGC 4621, and NGC 5128, with both the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories. Specifically, we studied the temporal and spectral evolution of these point sources over the course of the observations of the galaxies, mostly covering the 2000 - 2015 period. In this poster we present the first results of this study, which allows us to further constrain the X-ray source population in nearby elliptical galaxies and also better understand the nature of individual point sources.

  19. X-ray aspects of the DAFT/FADA clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guennou, L.; Durret, F.; Lima Neto, G. B.; Adami, C.

    2012-12-01

    We have undertaken the DAFT/FADA survey with the aim of applying constraints on dark energy based on weak lensing tomography as well as obtaining homogeneous and high quality data for a sample of 91 massive clusters in the redshift range [0.4,0.9] for which there are HST archive data. We have analysed the XMM-Newton data available for 42 of these clusters to derive their X-ray temperatures and luminosities and search for substructures. This study was coupled with a dynamical analysis for the 26 clusters having at least 30 spectroscopic galaxy redshifts in the cluster range. We present preliminary results on the coupled X-ray and dynamical analyses of these clusters.

  20. Stewardship of NASA's Earth Science Data and Ensuring Long-Term Active Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramapriyan, H.; Behnke, J.

    2016-12-01

    NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been in operation since 1994. EOSDIS manages data from pre-EOS missions dating back to 1960s, EOS missions that started in 1997, and missions from the post-EOS era. Its data holdings come from many different sources - satellite and airborne instruments, in situ measures, field experiments, science investigations, etc. Since the beginning of the EOS Program, NASA has followed an open data policy, with non-discriminatory access to data with no period of exclusive access. NASA has well-established processes for assigning and/or accepting datasets into one of 12 Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) that are parts of EOSDIS. EOSDIS has been evolving through several information technology cycles, adapting to hardware and software changes in the commercial sector. NASA is responsible for maintaining Earth science data as long as users are interested in using them for research and applications, which is well beyond the life of the data gathering missions. For science data to remain useful over long periods of time, steps must be taken to preserve: 1. Data bits with no corruption, 2. Discoverability and access, 3. Readability, 4. Understandability, 5. Usability and 6. Reproducibility of results. NASA's Earth Science data and Information System (ESDIS) Project, along with the 12 EOSDIS Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs), has made significant progress in each of these areas over the last decade, and continues to evolve its active archive capabilities. Particular attention is being paid in recent years to ensure that the datasets are "published" in an easily accessible and citable manner through a unified metadata model, a common metadata repository (CMR), a coherent view through the earthdata.gov website, and assignment of Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) with well-designed landing/product information pages.

  1. GIS Technologies For The New Planetary Science Archive (PSA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Docasal, R.; Barbarisi, I.; Rios, C.; Macfarlane, A. J.; Gonzalez, J.; Arviset, C.; De Marchi, G.; Martinez, S.; Grotheer, E.; Lim, T.; Besse, S.; Heather, D.; Fraga, D.; Barthelemy, M.

    2015-12-01

    Geographical information system (GIS) is becoming increasingly used for planetary science. GIS are computerised systems for the storage, retrieval, manipulation, analysis, and display of geographically referenced data. Some data stored in the Planetary Science Archive (PSA), for instance, a set of Mars Express/Venus Express data, have spatial metadata associated to them. To facilitate users in handling and visualising spatial data in GIS applications, the new PSA should support interoperability with interfaces implementing the standards approved by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). These standards are followed in order to develop open interfaces and encodings that allow data to be exchanged with GIS Client Applications, well-known examples of which are Google Earth and NASA World Wind as well as open source tools such as Openlayers. The technology already exists within PostgreSQL databases to store searchable geometrical data in the form of the PostGIS extension. An existing open source maps server is GeoServer, an instance of which has been deployed for the new PSA, uses the OGC standards to allow, among others, the sharing, processing and editing of data and spatial data through the Web Feature Service (WFS) standard as well as serving georeferenced map images through the Web Map Service (WMS). The final goal of the new PSA, being developed by the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) Science Data Centre (ESDC), is to create an archive which enables science exploitation of ESA's planetary missions datasets. This can be facilitated through the GIS framework, offering interfaces (both web GUI and scriptable APIs) that can be used more easily and scientifically by the community, and that will also enable the community to build added value services on top of the PSA.

  2. Newton's Investigation of the Resistance to Moving Bodies in Continuous Fluids and the Nature of "Frontier Science"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gauld, Colin F.

    2010-01-01

    Newton's experiments into the resistance which fluids offer to moving bodies provide some insight into the way he related theory and experiment. His theory demonstrates a way of thought typical of 17th century physics and his experiments are simple enough to be replicated by present day students. Newton's investigations using pendulums were…

  3. Data-Oriented Astrophysics at NOAO: The Science Archive & The Data Lab

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juneau, Stephanie; NOAO Data Lab, NOAO Science Archive

    2018-06-01

    As we keep progressing into an era of increasingly large astronomy datasets, NOAO’s data-oriented mission is growing in prominence. The NOAO Science Archive, which captures and processes the pixel data from mountaintops in Chile and Arizona, now contains holdings at Petabyte scales. Working at the intersection of astronomy and data science, the main goal of the NOAO Data Lab is to provide users with a suite of tools to work close to this data, the catalogs derived from them, as well as externally provided datasets, and thus optimize the scientific productivity of the astronomy community. These tools and services include databases, query tools, virtual storage space, workflows through our Jupyter Notebook server, and scripted analysis. We currently host datasets from NOAO facilities such as the Dark Energy Survey (DES), the DESI imaging Legacy Surveys (LS), the Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey (DECaPS), and the nearly all-sky NOAO Source Catalog (NSC). We are further preparing for large spectroscopy datasets such as DESI. After a brief overview of the Science Archive, the Data Lab and datasets, I will briefly showcase scientific applications showing use of our data holdings. Lastly, I will describe our vision for future developments as we tackle the next technical and scientific challenges.

  4. Ames Life Science Data Archive: Translational Rodent Research at Ames

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wood, Alan E.; French, Alison J.; Ngaotheppitak, Ratana; Leung, Dorothy M.; Vargas, Roxana S.; Maese, Chris; Stewart, Helen

    2014-01-01

    The Life Science Data Archive (LSDA) office at Ames is responsible for collecting, curating, distributing and maintaining information pertaining to animal and plant experiments conducted in low earth orbit aboard various space vehicles from 1965 to present. The LSDA will soon be archiving data and tissues samples collected on the next generation of commercial vehicles; e.g., SpaceX & Cygnus Commercial Cargo Craft. To date over 375 rodent flight experiments with translational application have been archived by the Ames LSDA office. This knowledge base of fundamental research can be used to understand mechanisms that affect higher organisms in microgravity and help define additional research whose results could lead the way to closing gaps identified by the Human Research Program (HRP). This poster will highlight Ames contribution to the existing knowledge base and how the LSDA can be a resource to help answer the questions surrounding human health in long duration space exploration. In addition, it will illustrate how this body of knowledge was utilized to further our understanding of how space flight affects the human system and the ability to develop countermeasures that negate the deleterious effects of space flight. The Ames Life Sciences Data Archive (ALSDA) includes current descriptions of over 700 experiments conducted aboard the Shuttle, International Space Station (ISS), NASA/MIR, Bion/Cosmos, Gemini, Biosatellites, Apollo, Skylab, Russian Foton, and ground bed rest studies. Research areas cover Behavior and Performance, Bone and Calcium Physiology, Cardiovascular Physiology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chronobiology, Developmental Biology, Endocrinology, Environmental Monitoring, Gastrointestinal Physiology, Hematology, Immunology, Life Support System, Metabolism and Nutrition, Microbiology, Muscle Physiology, Neurophysiology, Pharmacology, Plant Biology, Pulmonary Physiology, Radiation Biology, Renal, Fluid and Electrolyte Physiology, and Toxicology. These

  5. Resolved Companions of Cepheids: Testing the Candidates with X-Ray Observations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Evans, Nancy Remage; Pillitteri, Ignazio; Wolk, Scott; Karovska, Margarita; Tingle, Evan; Guinan, Edward; Engle, Scott; Bond, Howard E.; Schaefer, Gail H.; Mason, Brian D.

    2016-04-01

    We have made XMM-Newton observations of 14 Galactic Cepheids that have candidate resolved (≥5″) companion stars based on our earlier HST Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) imaging survey. Main-sequence stars that are young enough to be physical companions of Cepheids are expected to be strong X-ray producers in contrast to field stars. XMM-Newton exposures were set to detect essentially all companions hotter than spectral type M0 (corresponding to 0.5 M⊙). The large majority of our candidate companions were not detected in X-rays, and hence are not confirmed as young companions. One resolved candidate (S Nor #4) was unambiguously detected, but the Cepheid is a member of a populous cluster. For this reason, it is likely that S Nor #4 is a cluster member rather than a gravitationally bound companion. Two further Cepheids (S Mus and R Cru) have X-ray emission that might be produced by either the Cepheid or the candidate resolved companion. A subsequent Chandra observation of S Mus shows that the X-rays are at the location of the Cepheid/spectroscopic binary. R Cru and also V659 Cen (also X-ray bright) have possible companions closer than 5″ (the limit for this study) which are the likely sources of X-rays. One final X-ray detection (V473 Lyr) has no known optical companion, so the prime suspect is the Cepheid itself. It is a unique Cepheid with a variable amplitude. The 14 stars that we observed with XMM constitute 36% of the 39 Cepheids found to have candidate companions in our HST/WFC3 optical survey. No young probable binary companions were found with separations of ≥5″ or 4000 au. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA).

  6. Turning around Newton's Second Law

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goff, John Eric

    2004-01-01

    Conceptual and quantitative difficulties surrounding Newton's second law often arise among introductory physics students. Simply turning around how one expresses Newton's second law may assist students in their understanding of a deceptively simple-looking equation.

  7. Extending Newton's Universal Theory of Gravity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aisenberg, Sol

    2011-11-01

    This should remove the mystery of Dark Matter. Newton's universal theory of gravity only used the observations of the motion of planets in our solar system. Hubble later used observations of fixed stars in the universe, and showed that the fixed stars were actually galaxies with very large numbers of stars. Newton's universal law of gravity could not explain these new observations without the mystery of dark matter for the additional gravity. In science, when a theory is not able to explain new observations it is necessary to modify the theory or abandon the theory. Rubin observed flat (constant velocity) rotation curves for stars in spiral galaxies. Dark matter was proposed to provide the missing gravity. The equation balancing gravitational force and centripetal force is M*G=v*v*r and for the observed constant velocity v this requires M*G to be a linear function of distance r. If the linear dependence is instead assigned to G instead of M to give a new value for Gn as G+A*r, this will explain the observations in the cosmos and also in our solar system for small r. See ``The Misunderstood Universe'' for more details.

  8. Newton's Use of the Pendulum to Investigate Fluid Resistance: A Case Study and Some Implications for Teaching about the Nature of Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gauld, Colin F.

    2009-01-01

    Books I and III of Newton's "Principia" develop Newton's dynamical theory and show how it explains a number of celestial phenomena. Book II has received little attention from historians or educators because it does not play a major role in Newton's argument. However, it is in Book II that we see most clearly Newton both as a theoretician and an…

  9. Resolving the Large Scale Spectral Variability of the Luminous Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H 0419-577

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pounds, K. A.; Reeves, J. N.; Page, K. L.; OBrien, P. T.

    2004-01-01

    An XMM-Newton observation of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577 in September 2002, when the source was in an extreme low-flux state, found a very hard X-ray spectrum at 1-10 keV with a strong soft excess below approximately 1 keV. Comparison with an earlier XMM-Newton observation when 1H 0419-577 was X-ray bright indicated the dominant spectral variability was due to a steep power law or cool Comptonized thermal emission. Four further XMM-Newton observations, with 1H 0419-577 in intermediate flux states, now support that conclusion, while we also find the variable emission component in intermediate state difference spectra to be strongly modified by absorption in low ionisation matter. The variable soft excess is seen to be an artefact of absorption of the underlying continuum while the core soft emission is attributed to recombination in an extended region of more highly ionised gas. This new analysis underlines the importance of fully accounting for absorption in characterizing AGN X-ray spectra.

  10. PEOPLE IN PHYSICS: Newton's apple

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sandford Smith, Daniel

    1997-03-01

    This essay has a long history. It was triggered at university by one of my tutors describing the dispute between Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton. He conjured up an image of Newton sitting at his desk doing calculations while Hooke went down mineshafts trying to detect a change in the strength of gravity. To someone who was finding the maths content of a physics degree somewhat challenging this was a symbolic image. I believe that the story of Newton and the apple illustrates the complex nature of scientific discovery.

  11. The Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peeples, M.; Tumlinson, J.; Fox, A.; Aloisi, A.; Fleming, S.; Jedrzejewski, R.; Oliveira, C.; Ayres, T.; Danforth, C.; Keeney, B.; Jenkins, E.

    2017-04-01

    With no future space ultraviolet instruments currently planned, the data from the UV spectrographs aboard the Hubble Space Telescope have a legacy value beyond their initial science goals. The goal of the Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive(HSLA) is to provide to the community new science-grade combined spectra for all publicly available data obtained by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS)and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). These data are packaged into "smart archives" according to target type and scientific themes to facilitate the construction of archival samples for common science uses. A new "quick look" capability makes the data easy for users to quickly access, assess the quality of,and download for archival science. The first generation of these products for the far-ultraviolet (FUV) modes of COS was made available online via the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) in early 2016 and updated in early 2017; future releases will include COS/NUV and STIS/UV data.

  12. ESA's Integral discovers hidden black holes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2003-10-01

    discovered so far? Astronomers, who have been observing the object regularly, guess that it had remained invisible because there must be a very thick shell of obscuring material surrounding it. If that was the case, only the most energetic radiation from the object could get through the shell; less-energetic radiation would be blocked. That could explain why space telescopes that are sensitive only to low-energy radiation had overlooked the object, while Integral, specialised in detecting very energetic emissions, did see it. To test their theory, astronomers turned to ESA's XMM-Newton space observatory, which observes the sky in the X-ray wavelengths. As well as being sensitive to high-energy radiation, XMM-Newton is also able to check for the presence of obscuring material. Indeed, XMM-Newton detected this object last February, as well as the existence of a dense 'cocoon' of cold gas with a diameter of similar size to that of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. This obscuring material forming the cocoon is probably 'stellar wind', namely gas ejected by the supermassive companion star. Astronomers think that this gas may be accreted by the compact black hole, forming a dense shell around it. This obscuring cloud traps most of the energy produced inside it. The main author of these results, Roland Walter of the Integral Science Data Centre, Switzerland, explained: "Only photons with the highest energies [above 10 keV] could escape from that cocoon. IGR J16318-4848 has therefore not been detected by surveys performed at lower energies, nor by previous gamma-ray missions that were much less sensitive than Integral." The question now is to find out how many of these objects lurk in the Galaxy. XMM-Newton and Integral together are the perfect tools to do the job. They have already discovered two more new sources embedded in obscuring material. Future observations are planned. Christoph Winkler, ESA Project Scientist for Integral, said: "These early examples of using two

  13. Challenges of the science data processing, analysis and archiving approach in BepiColombo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez, Santa

    BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. It comprises two separate orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). After approximately 7.5 years of cruise, BepiColombo will arrive at Mercury in 2024 and will gather data during a 1-year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension. The approach selected for BepiColombo for the processing, analysis and archiving of the science data represents a significant change with respect to previous ESA planetary missions. Traditionally Instrument Teams are responsible for processing, analysing and preparing their science data for the long-term archive, however in BepiColombo, the Science Ground Segment (SGS), located in Madrid, Spain, will play a key role in these activities. Fundamental aspects of this approach include: the involvement of the SGS in the definition, development and operation of the instrument processing pipelines; the production of ready-to-archive science products compatible with NASA’s Planetary Data System (PDS) standards in all the processing steps; the joint development of a quick-look analysis system to monitor deviations between planned and executed observations to feed back the results into the different planning cycles when possible; and a mission archive providing access to the scientific products and to the operational data throughout the different phases of the mission (from the early development phase to the legacy phase). In order to achieve these goals, the SGS will need to overcome a number of challenges. The proposed approach requires a flexible infrastructure able to cope with a distributed data processing system, residing in different locations but designed as a single entity. For this, all aspects related to the integration of software developed by different Instrument Teams and the alignment of their development schedules will need to be

  14. A Long Decay of X-Ray Flux and Spectral Evolution in the Supersoft Active Galactic Nucleus GSN 069

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shu, X. W.; Wang, S. S.; Dou, L. M.; Jiang, N.; Wang, J. X.; Wang, T. G.

    2018-04-01

    GSN 069 is an optically identified very low-mass active galactic nuclei (AGN) that shows supersoft X-ray emission. The source is known to exhibit a huge X-ray outburst, with flux increased by more than a factor of ∼240 compared to the quiescence state. We report its long-term evolution in the X-ray flux and spectral variations over a timescale of ∼decade, using both new and archival X-ray observations from the XMM-Newton and Swift. The new Swift observations detected the source in its lowest level of X-ray activity since the outburst, a factor of ∼4 lower in the 0.2–2 keV flux than that obtained with the XMM-Newton observations nearly eight years ago. Combining with the historical X-ray measurements, we find that the X-ray flux is decreasing slowly. There seemed to be spectral softening associated with the drop of X-ray flux. In addition, we find evidence for the presence of a weak, variable, hard X-ray component, in addition to the dominant thermal blackbody emission reported before. The long decay of X-ray flux and spectral evolution, as well as the supersoft X-ray spectra, suggest that the source could be a tidal disruption event (TDE), though a highly variable AGN cannot be fully ruled out. Further continued X-ray monitoring would be required to test the TDE interpretation, by better determining the flux evolution in the decay phase.

  15. Narrow phase-dependent features in X-ray dim isolated neutron stars: a new detection and upper limits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borghese, A.; Rea, N.; Coti Zelati, F.; Tiengo, A.; Turolla, R.; Zane, S.

    2017-07-01

    We report on the results of a detailed phase-resolved spectroscopy of archival XMM-Newton observations of X-ray dim isolated neutron stars (XDINSs). Our analysis revealed a narrow and phase-variable absorption feature in the X-ray spectrum of RX J1308.6+2127. The feature has an energy of ˜740 eV and an equivalent width of ˜15 eV. It is detected only in ˜1/5 of the phase cycle, and appears to be present for the entire timespan covered by the observations (2001 December to 2007 June). The strong dependence on the pulsar rotation and the narrow width suggest that the feature is likely due to resonant cyclotron absorption/scattering in a confined high-B structure close to the stellar surface. Assuming a proton cyclotron line, the magnetic field strength in the loop is Bloop ˜ 1.7 × 1014 G, about a factor of ˜5 higher than the surface dipolar magnetic field (Bsurf ˜ 3.4 × 1013 G). This feature is similar to that recently detected in another XDINS, RX J0720.4-3125, showing (as expected by theoretical simulations) that small-scale magnetic loops close to the surface might be common to many highly magnetic neutron stars (although difficult to detect with current X-ray instruments). Furthermore, we investigated the available XMM-Newton data of all XDINSs in search for similar narrow phase-dependent features, but could derive only upper limits for all the other sources.

  16. New Tools to Search for Data in the European Space Agency's Planetary Science Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grotheer, E.; Macfarlane, A. J.; Rios, C.; Arviset, C.; Heather, D.; Fraga, D.; Vallejo, F.; De Marchi, G.; Barbarisi, I.; Saiz, J.; Barthelemy, M.; Docasal, R.; Martinez, S.; Besse, S.; Lim, T.

    2016-12-01

    The European Space Agency's (ESA) Planetary Science Archive (PSA), which can be accessed at http://archives.esac.esa.int/psa, provides public access to the archived data of Europe's missions to our neighboring planets. These datasets are compliant with the Planetary Data System (PDS) standards. Recently, a new interface has been released, which includes upgrades to make PDS4 data available from newer missions such as ExoMars and BepiColombo. Additionally, the PSA development team has been working to ensure that the legacy PDS3 data will be more easily accessible via the new interface as well. In addition to a new querying interface, the new PSA also allows access via the EPN-TAP and PDAP protocols. This makes the PSA data sets compatible with other archive-related tools and projects, such as the Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access (VESPA) project for creating a virtual observatory.

  17. INSA Scientific Activities in the Space Astronomy Area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pérez Martínez, Ricardo; Sánchez Portal, Miguel

    Support to astronomy operations is an important and long-lived activity within INSA. Probably the best known (and traditional) INSA activities are those related with real-time spacecraft operations: ground station maintenance and operation (ground station engineers and operators); spacecraft and payload real-time operation (spacecraft and instruments controllers); computing infrastructure maintenance (operators, analysts), and general site services. In this paper, we’ll show a different perspective, probably not so well-known, presenting some INSA recent activities at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) and NASA Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex (MDSCC) directly related to scientific operations. Basic lines of activity involved include: operations support for science operations; system and software support for real time systems; technical administration and IT support; R&D activities, radioastronomy (at MDSCC and ESAC), and scientific research projects. This paper is structured as follows: first, INSA activities in two ESA cornerstone astrophysics missions, XMM-Newton and Herschel, will be outlined. Then, our activities related to scientific infrastructure services, represented by the Virtual Observatory (VO) framework and the Science Archives development facilities, are briefly shown. Radio astronomy activities will be described afterwards, and, finally, a few research topics in which INSA scientists are involved will also be described.

  18. VizieR Online Data Catalog: X-ATLAS X-ray sources photometric redshifts (Mountrichas+, 2017)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mountrichas, G.; Corral, A.; Masoura, V. A.; Georgantopoulos, I.; Ruiz, A.; Georgakakis, A.; Carrera, F. J.; Fotopoulou, S.

    2017-10-01

    The Herschel Terahertz Large Area survey (H-ATLAS) is the largest Open Time Key Project carried out with the Herschel Space Observatory (Eales et al., 2010PASP..122..499E), covering an area of 550 deg2 in five far-infrared and sub-millimeter (submm) bands (100, 160, 250, 350, and 500um). 16 deg2 have been presented in the Science Demonstration Phase (SDP) catalogue (Rigby et al., 2011, Cat. J/MNRAS/415/2336) and lie within one of the regions observed by the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey (Driver et al. 2011, Cat. J/MNRAS/413/971; Baldry et al. 2010MNRAS.404...86B). XMM-Newton observed 7.1 deg2 with a total exposure time of 336ks (in the MOS1 camera) within the H-ATLAS SDP area, making the XMM-ATLAS one of the largest contiguous areas of the sky with both XMM-Newton and Herschel coverage. The catalogue contains 1816 unique sources (Ranalli et al. 2015, Cat. J/A+A/577/A121). To obtain optical, mid-IR, and far-IR photometry for the XMM-ATLAS sources, we cross-matched the X-ray catalogue with the SDSS-DR13 (Albareti et al., 2015, Cat. J/MNRAS/452/4153), the WISE (Wright et al. 2010AJ....140.1868W, See Cat. II/311 and II/328), and the VISTA-VIKING catalogues (Emerson et al. 2006, Msngr, 126, 41; Dalton et al. 2006, SPIE, 6269, see Cat. II/343/) with the ARCHES cross-correlation tool xmatch, which symmetrically matches an arbitrary number of catalogues providing a Bayesian Probability of association or non-association (Pineau, 2016, eprint arXiv:1609.03457). (1 data file).

  19. The Challenges Facing Science Data Archiving on Current Mass Storage Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peavey, Bernard; Behnke, Jeanne (Editor)

    1996-01-01

    This paper discusses the desired characteristics of a tape-based petabyte science data archive and retrieval system required to store and distribute several terabytes (TB) of data per day over an extended period of time, probably more than 115 years, in support of programs such as the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). These characteristics take into consideration not only cost effective and affordable storage capacity, but also rapid access to selected files, and reading rates that are needed to satisfy thousands of retrieval transactions per day. It seems that where rapid random access to files is not crucial, the tape medium, magnetic or optical, continues to offer cost effective data storage and retrieval solutions, and is likely to do so for many years to come. However, in environments like EOS these tape based archive solutions provide less than full user satisfaction. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to describe the performance and operational enhancements that need to be made to the current tape based archival systems in order to achieve greater acceptance by the EOS and similar user communities.

  20. VizieR Online Data Catalog: X-ray supernova remnants in LMC (Maggi+, 2016)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maggi, P.; Haberl, F.; Kavanagh, P. J.; Sasaki, M.; Bozzetto, L. M.; Filipovic, M. D.; Vasilopoulos, G.; Pietsch, W.; Points, S. D.; Chu, Y.-H.; Dickel, J.; Ehle, M.; Williams, R.; Greiner, J.

    2016-03-01

    The processing of all available XMM-Newton data in the LMC region, and those of the VLP survey in particular, was done with the data reduction pipeline developed in our research group over several years. Various non-X-ray data were used to supplement the XMM-Newton observations. They allow us to assess e.g. the relation between the population of SNRs and large scale structure of the LMC, or to evaluate doubtful candidates in the sample compilation. We compiled a sample of 59 definite SNRs, cleaned of misclassified objects and doubtful candidates. (2 data files).

  1. The Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peeples, Molly S.; Tumlinson, Jason; Fox, Andrew; Aloisi, Alessandra; Ayres, Thomas R.; Danforth, Charles; Fleming, Scott W.; Jenkins, Edward B.; Jedrzejewski, Robert I.; Keeney, Brian A.; Oliveira, Cristina M.

    2016-01-01

    With no future space ultraviolet instruments currently planned, the data from the UV spectrographs aboard the Hubble Space Telescope have a legacy value beyond their initial science goals. The Hubble Spectroscopic Legacy Archive will provide to the community new science-grade combined spectra for all publicly available data obtained by the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). These data will be packaged into "smart archives" according to target type and scientific themes to facilitate the construction of archival samples for common science uses. A new "quick look" capability will make the data easy for users to quickly access, assess the quality of, and download for archival science starting in Cycle 24, with the first generation of these products for the FUV modes of COS available online via MAST in early 2016.

  2. Planning for future X-ray astronomy missions .

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urry, C. M.

    Space science has become an international business. Cutting-edge missions are too expensive and too complex for any one country to have the means and expertise to construct. The next big X-ray mission, Astro-H, led by Japan, has significant participation by Europe and the U.S. The two premier missions currently operating, Chandra and XMM-Newton, led by NASA and ESA, respectively, are thoroughly international. The science teams are international and the user community is International. It makes sense that planning for future X-ray astronomy missions -- and the eventual missions themselves -- be fully integrated on an international level.

  3. Surprise Discovery of Highly Developed Structure in the Young Universe

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2005-03-01

    Universe as a whole. About one-fifth of the optically invisible mass of a cluster is in the form of a diffuse, very hot gas with a temperature of several tens of millions of degrees. This gas emits powerful X-ray radiation and clusters of galaxies are therefore best discovered by means of X-ray satellites (cf. ESO PR 18/03 and 15/04). It is for this reason that a team of astronomers [1] has initiated a search for distant, X-ray luminous clusters "lying dormant" in archive data from ESA's XMM-Newton satellite observatory. Studying XMM-Newton observations targeted at the nearby active galaxy NGC 7314, the astronomers found evidence of a galaxy cluster in the background, far out in space. This source, now named XMMU J2235.3-2557, appeared extended and very faint: no more than 280 X-ray photons were detected over the entire 12 hour-long observations. A Mature Cluster at Redshift 1.4 ESO PR Photo 05b/05 ESO PR Photo 05b/05 False Colour Image of XMMU J2235.3-2557 (FORS/VLT and ESA XMM-Newton) [Preview - JPEG: 400 x 455 pix - 50k] [Normal - JPEG: 800 x 909 pix - 564k] [Full Res - JPEG: 1599 x 1816 pix - 1.5M] Caption: ESO PR Photo 05b/05 is a false colour image of the XMMU J2235.3-2557 cluster of galaxies, overlaid with the X-ray intensity contours derived from the ESA XMM-Newton data. The red channel is a VLT-ISAAC image (exposure time: 1 hour) obtained in the near-infrared Ks-band (at wavelength 2.2 microns); the green channel is a VLT-FORS2 z-band image (910 nm; 480 sec); the blue channel is a VLT-FORS2 R-band image (; 657 nm; 1140 sec). The VLT reveals 12 reddish galaxies, of elliptical types, as members of the cluster. Knowing where to look, the astronomers then used the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal (Chile) to obtain images in the visible wavelength region. They confirmed the nature of this cluster and it was possible to identify 12 comparatively bright member galaxies on the images (see ESO PR Photo 05b/05). The galaxies appear

  4. Long-term evolution of the neutron-star spin period of SXP 1062

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sturm, R.; Haberl, F.; Oskinova, L. M.; Schurch, M. P. E.; Hénault-Brunet, V.; Gallagher, J. S.; Udalski, A.

    2013-08-01

    Context. The Be/X-ray binary SXP 1062 is of especial interest owing to the large spin period of the neutron star, its large spin-down rate, and the association with a supernova remnant constraining its age. This makes the source an important probe for accretion physics. Aims: To investigate the long-term evolution of the spin period and associated spectral variations, we performed an XMM-Newton target-of-opportunity observation of SXP 1062 during X-ray outburst. Methods: Spectral and timing analysis of the XMM-Newton data was compared with previous studies, as well as complementary Swift/XRT monitoring and optical spectroscopy with the SALT telescope were obtained. Results: The spin period was measured to be Ps = (1071.01 ± 0.16) s on 2012 Oct. 14. The X-ray spectrum is similar to that of previous observations. No convincing cyclotron absorption features, which could be indicative for a high magnetic field strength, are found. The high-resolution RGS spectra indicate the presence of emission lines, which may not completely be accounted for by the SNR emission. The comparison of multi-epoch optical spectra suggest an increasing size or density of the decretion disc around the Be star. Conclusions: SXP 1062 showed a net spin-down with an average of Ṗs = (2.27 ± 0.44) s yr-1 over a baseline of 915 days. Based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and NASA and on observations made with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT).The reduced SALT spectra is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/556/A139

  5. "Survivor" Black Holes May Be Mid-Sized

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2010-04-01

    has been seen from stellar-mass black holes in our Galaxy, but this is the first likely detection in a candidate intermediate-mass black hole. The radius of the innermost stable orbit depends only on the mass and spin of the black hole. The best model for the X-ray emission implies a rapidly spinning black hole with mass in the range 200 to 800 times the mass of the Sun. The mass agrees with theoretical estimates for a black hole created in a star cluster by runaway collisions of stars. "This result is one of the strongest pieces of evidence to date for the existence of an intermediate-mass black hole," said Feng. "This looks just like well-studied examples of stellar-mass black holes, except for being more than 20 times as massive." The two papers describing these results recently appeared in The Astrophysical Journal. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory controls Chandra's science and flight operations from Cambridge, Mass. The XMM-Newton spacecraft is controlled by the European Space Operations Center. The XMM-Newton Science Operations Center situated at ESAC in Villafranca, Spain, manages observation requests and receives XMM-Newton data. The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre at Leicester University, UK, processes and correlates all XMM-Newton observations with existing sky data held elsewhere in the world. More information, including images and other multimedia, can be found at: http://chandra.harvard.edu and http://chandra.nasa.gov and http://www.esa.int/esaSC/

  6. Imbalance of Ecosystems and the Modified Newton's 3 Laws of Change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, H.

    2013-12-01

    Sustainability calls for the unity of human knowledge that bridges the present "two cultures" gulf between the sciences and the humanities, and the transition from the age of machine to the age of the environment quests for harmony with nature (so-called eco-civilization). Ecosystems are fundamentally different from machines, where individual components contain complex organisms instead of identical nonliving entities. Because of heterogeneity, diversity, self-organization, and openness, imbalances abound in nature. These are reflected in entropy increase over time (S > 0) and gradient persistence over space (F > 0). In this paper, three modified Newton's laws of change for ecosystems are suggested, and examples of imbalances from landscape-soil-water-ecosystem-climate will be illustrated. ● Newton's 1st law of motion: ∑F=0 → dv/dt=0. i.e., if net force acting on an object is zero, then the object's velocity remains unchanged. Modified Newton's 1st law of change (imbalance #1): ∑F>0 → dv/dt≥0. i.e., unavoidable forcing exists in nature (∑F>0), thus change always happens; however, with inertia/resistance in some systems or minimum threshold needed to change, dv/dt≥0. ● Newton's 2nd law of motion: ∑F=ma. i.e., acceleration is inversely proportional to body mass. Modified Newton's 2nd law of change (imbalance #2): ∑F≠ma. i.e., either 1) it is hard to make change because of resilience, self-adjustment, nonlinearity of interactions-feedbacks in living systems (∑F≥ma), or 2) there is possible threshold behavior or sudden collapse of a system (∑FNewton's 3rd law of motion: ∑F(a,b)=-∑F(b,a). i.e., for every force acting on a body, there is an equal (in magnitude) but opposite (in direction) reacting force. Modified Newton's 3rd law of change (imbalance #3): ∑F(a,b)≠-∑F(b,a). i.e., to every action, there is an opposite but not necessarily equal reaction (because of energy dissipation and/or self-organization, among other

  7. Subsampled Hessian Newton Methods for Supervised Learning.

    PubMed

    Wang, Chien-Chih; Huang, Chun-Heng; Lin, Chih-Jen

    2015-08-01

    Newton methods can be applied in many supervised learning approaches. However, for large-scale data, the use of the whole Hessian matrix can be time-consuming. Recently, subsampled Newton methods have been proposed to reduce the computational time by using only a subset of data for calculating an approximation of the Hessian matrix. Unfortunately, we find that in some situations, the running speed is worse than the standard Newton method because cheaper but less accurate search directions are used. In this work, we propose some novel techniques to improve the existing subsampled Hessian Newton method. The main idea is to solve a two-dimensional subproblem per iteration to adjust the search direction to better minimize the second-order approximation of the function value. We prove the theoretical convergence of the proposed method. Experiments on logistic regression, linear SVM, maximum entropy, and deep networks indicate that our techniques significantly reduce the running time of the subsampled Hessian Newton method. The resulting algorithm becomes a compelling alternative to the standard Newton method for large-scale data classification.

  8. Edme Mariotte and Newton's Cradle

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cross, Rod

    2012-01-01

    The first recorded experiments describing the phenomena made popular by Newton's cradle appear to be those conducted by Edme Mariotte around 1670. He was quoted in Newton's "Principia," along with Wren, Wallis, and Huygens, as having conducted pioneering experiments on the collisions of pendulum balls. Each of these authors concluded that momentum…

  9. Exploring the galaxy cluster-group transition regime at high redshifts. Physical properties of two newly detected z > 1 systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Šuhada, R.; Fassbender, R.; Nastasi, A.; Böhringer, H.; de Hoon, A.; Pierini, D.; Santos, J. S.; Rosati, P.; Mühlegger, M.; Quintana, H.; Schwope, A. D.; Lamer, G.; Kohnert, J.; Pratt, G. W.

    2011-06-01

    Context. Multi-wavelength surveys for clusters of galaxies are opening a window on the elusive high-redshift (z > 1) cluster population. Well controlled statistical samples of distant clusters will enable us to answer questions about their cosmological context, early assembly phases and the thermodynamical evolution of the intracluster medium. Aims: We report on the detection of two z > 1 systems, XMMU J0302.2-0001 and XMMU J1532.2-0836, as part of the XMM-Newton Distant Cluster Project (XDCP) sample. We investigate the nature of the sources, measure their spectroscopic redshift and determine their basic physical parameters. Methods: The results of the present paper are based on the analysis of XMM-Newton archival data, optical/near-infrared imaging and deep optical follow-up spectroscopy of the clusters. Results: We confirm the X-ray source XMMU J0302.2-0001 as a gravitationally bound, bona fide cluster of galaxies at spectroscopic redshift z = 1.185. We estimate its M500 mass to (1.6 ± 0.3) × 1014 M⊙ from its measured X-ray luminosity. This ranks the cluster among intermediate mass system. In the case of XMMU J1532.2-0836 we find the X-ray detection to be coincident with a dynamically bound system of galaxies at z = 1.358. Optical spectroscopy reveals the presence of a central active galactic nucleus, which can be a dominant source of the detected X-ray emission from this system. We provide upper limits of X-ray parameters for the system and discuss cluster identification challenges in the high-redshift low-mass cluster regime. A third, intermediate redshift (z = 0.647) cluster, XMMU J0302.1-0000, is serendipitously detected in the same field as XMMU J0302.2-0001. We provide its analysis as well. Based on observations obtained with ESO Telescopes at the Paranal Observatory under program ID 080.A-0659 and 081.A-0312, observations collected at the Centro Astrnómico Hispano Alemán (CAHA) at Calar Alto, Spain operated jointly by the Max-Planck Institut f

  10. Detection of blueshifted emission and absorption and a relativistic iron line in the X-ray spectrum of ESO323-G077

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiménez-Bailón, E.; Krongold, Y.; Bianchi, S.; Matt, G.; Santos-Lleó, M.; Piconcelli, E.; Schartel, N.

    2008-12-01

    We report on the X-ray observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy ESO323-G077 performed with XMM-Newton. The EPIC spectra show a complex spectrum with conspicuous absorption and emission features. The continuum emission can be modelled with a power law with an index of 1.99 +/- 0.02 in the whole XMM-Newton energy band, marginally consistent with typical values of type I objects. An absorption component with an uncommonly high equivalent hydrogen column (nH = 5.82+0.12-0.11 × 1022cm-2) is affecting the soft part of the spectrum. Additionally, two warm absorption components are also present in the spectrum. The lower ionized one, mainly imprinting the soft band of the spectrum, has an ionization parameter of logU = 2.14+0.06-0.07 and an outflowing velocity of v = 3200+600-200kms-1. Two absorption lines located at ~6.7 and ~7.0keV can be modelled with the highly ionized absorber. The ionization parameter and outflowing velocity of the gas measured are logU = 3.26+0.19-0.15 and v = 1700+600-400kms-1, respectively. Four emission lines were also detected in the soft energy band. The most likely explanation for these emission lines is that they are associated with an outflowing gas with a velocity of ~2000kms-1. The data suggest that the same gas which is causing the absorption could also being responsible of these emission features. Finally, the XMM-Newton spectrum shows the presence of a relativistic iron emission line likely originated in the accretion disc of a Kerr black hole with an inclination of ~25°. We propose a model to explain the observed X-ray properties which invokes the presence of a two-phase outflow with cone-like structure and a velocity of the order of 2000- 4000kms-1. The inner layer of the cone would be less ionized, or even neutral, than the outer layer. The inclination angle of the source would be lower than the opening angle of the outflowing cone. Partially based on observations obtained with XMM-Newton, an ESA science mission with instruments and

  11. Newton's Cradle in Physics Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gauld, Colin F.

    2006-01-01

    Newton's Cradle is a series of bifilar pendulums used in physics classrooms to demonstrate the role of the principles of conservation of momentum and kinetic energy in elastic collisions. The paper reviews the way in which textbooks use Newton's Cradle and points out the unsatisfactory nature of these treatments in almost all cases. The literature…

  12. High-order Newton-penalty algorithms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dussault, Jean-Pierre

    2005-10-01

    Recent efforts in differentiable non-linear programming have been focused on interior point methods, akin to penalty and barrier algorithms. In this paper, we address the classical equality constrained program solved using the simple quadratic loss penalty function/algorithm. The suggestion to use extrapolations to track the differentiable trajectory associated with penalized subproblems goes back to the classic monograph of Fiacco & McCormick. This idea was further developed by Gould who obtained a two-steps quadratically convergent algorithm using prediction steps and Newton correction. Dussault interpreted the prediction step as a combined extrapolation with respect to the penalty parameter and the residual of the first order optimality conditions. Extrapolation with respect to the residual coincides with a Newton step.We explore here higher-order extrapolations, thus higher-order Newton-like methods. We first consider high-order variants of the Newton-Raphson method applied to non-linear systems of equations. Next, we obtain improved asymptotic convergence results for the quadratic loss penalty algorithm by using high-order extrapolation steps.

  13. Journal of Teaching in Marriage and Family: Innovations in Family Science Education. Archival Print Edition, 2001.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gentry, Deborah, Ed.

    2002-01-01

    This document comprises the archival print edition of the first volume of a quarterly electronic journal providing a forum for information on leading-edge teaching innovations and research findings in the field of family science. The foci of the journal are the family science curriculum, instruction issues, evaluation and assessment, and…

  14. Newton's Metaphysics of Space as God's Emanative Effect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacquette, Dale

    2014-09-01

    In several of his writings, Isaac Newton proposed that physical space is God's "emanative effect" or "sensorium," revealing something interesting about the metaphysics underlying his mathematical physics. Newton's conjectures depart from Plato and Aristotle's metaphysics of space and from classical and Cambridge Neoplatonism. Present-day philosophical concepts of supervenience clarify Newton's ideas about space and offer a portrait of Newton not only as a mathematical physicist but an independent-minded rationalist philosopher.

  15. Astronomical Surveys, Catalogs, Databases, and Archives

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mickaelian, A. M.

    2016-06-01

    All-sky and large-area astronomical surveys and their cataloged data over the whole range of electromagnetic spectrum are reviewed, from γ-ray to radio, such as Fermi-GLAST and INTEGRAL in γ-ray, ROSAT, XMM and Chandra in X-ray, GALEX in UV, SDSS and several POSS I and II based catalogues (APM, MAPS, USNO, GSC) in optical range, 2MASS in NIR, WISE and AKARI IRC in MIR, IRAS and AKARI FIS in FIR, NVSS and FIRST in radio and many others, as well as most important surveys giving optical images (DSS I and II, SDSS, etc.), proper motions (Tycho, USNO, Gaia), variability (GCVS, NSVS, ASAS, Catalina, Pan-STARRS) and spectroscopic data (FBS, SBS, Case, HQS, HES, SDSS, CALIFA, GAMA). Most important astronomical databases and archives are reviewed as well, including Wide-Field Plate DataBase (WFPDB), ESO, HEASARC, IRSA and MAST archives, CDS SIMBAD, VizieR and Aladin, NED and HyperLEDA extragalactic databases, ADS and astro-ph services. They are powerful sources for many-sided efficient research using Virtual Observatory tools. Using and analysis of Big Data accumulated in astronomy lead to many new discoveries.

  16. The ``One Archive'' for JWST

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greene, G.; Kyprianou, M.; Levay, K.; Sienkewicz, M.; Donaldson, T.; Dower, T.; Swam, M.; Bushouse, H.; Greenfield, P.; Kidwell, R.; Wolfe, D.; Gardner, L.; Nieto-Santisteban, M.; Swade, D.; McLean, B.; Abney, F.; Alexov, A.; Binegar, S.; Aloisi, A.; Slowinski, S.; Gousoulin, J.

    2015-09-01

    The next generation for the Space Telescope Science Institute data management system is gearing up to provide a suite of archive system services supporting the operation of the James Webb Space Telescope. We are now completing the initial stage of integration and testing for the preliminary ground system builds of the JWST Science Operations Center which includes multiple components of the Data Management Subsystem (DMS). The vision for astronomical science and research with the JWST archive introduces both solutions to formal mission requirements and innovation derived from our existing mission systems along with the collective shared experience of our global user community. We are building upon the success of the Hubble Space Telescope archive systems, standards developed by the International Virtual Observatory Alliance, and collaborations with our archive data center partners. In proceeding forward, the “one archive” architectural model presented here is designed to balance the objectives for this new and exciting mission. The STScI JWST archive will deliver high quality calibrated science data products, support multi-mission data discovery and analysis, and provide an infrastructure which supports bridges to highly valued community tools and services.

  17. Toward milli-Newton electro- and magneto-static microactuators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fan, Long-Sheng

    1993-01-01

    Microtechnologies can potentially push integrated electro- and magnetostatic actuators toward the regime where constant forces in the order of milli-Newton (or torques in the order of micro-Newton meter) can be generated with constant inputs within a volume of 1.0 x 1.0 x 0.02 mm with 'conventional' technology. 'Micro' actuators are, by definition, actuators with dimensions confined within a millimeter cube. Integrated microactuators based on electrostatics typically have force/torque in the order of sub-micro-Newton (sub-nano-Newton meter). These devices are capable of moving small objects at MHz frequencies. On the other hand, suppose we want to move a one cubic millimeter object around with 100 G acceleration; a few milli-Newton force will be required. Thus, milli-Newton microactuators are very desirable for some immediate applications, and it challenges micromechanical researchers to develop new process technologies, designs, and materials toward this goal.

  18. Pulse Phase Dependence of Low Energy Emission Lines in an X-ray pulsar 4U 1626-67 during its spin-up and spin-down phase

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Beri, Aru; Paul, Biswajit; Dewangan, Gulab Chand

    2016-07-01

    We will present the results obtained from the new observation of an ultra-compact X-ray binary pulsar 4U 1626-67, carried out with the XMM-Newton observatory. 4U 1626-67, a unique accretion powered pulsar underwent two torque reversals since its discovery in 1977. Pulse phase resolved spectroscopy of this source performed using the data from the XMM-Newton observatory during its spin-down phase revealed the dependence of the emission lines on the pulse phase. O VII emission line at 0.569 keV showed the maximum variation by factor of 4. These variations were interpreted due to warps in the accretion disk (Beri et al. 2015). Radiation pressure induced warping is also believed to be the cause for spin-down. In light of this possible explanation for spin-down torque reversal we expect different line variability during the spin-up phase. We will discuss the implications of the results obtained after performing pulse phase resolved spectroscopy using data from the EPIC-pn during the current spin-up phase. Detailed study of the prominent Neon and Oxygen line complexes with the high resolution Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) on-board XMM-Newton will also be presented.

  19. Resolving the Large Scale Spectral Variability of the Luminous Seyfert 1 Galaxy 1H 0419-577: Evidence for a New Emission Component and Absorption by Cold Dense Matter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pounds, K. A.; Reeves, J. N.; Page, K. L.; OBrien, P. T.

    2004-01-01

    An XMM-Newton observation of the luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H 0419-577 in September 2002, when the source was in an extreme low-flux state, found a very hard X-ray spectrum at 1-10 keV with a strong soft excess below -1 keV. Comparison with an earlier XMM-Newton observation when 1H 0419-577 was X-ray bright indicated the dominant spectral variability was due to a steep power law or cool Comptonised thermal emission. Four further XMM-Newton observations, with 1H 0419-577 in intermediate flux states, now support that conclusion, while we also find the variable emission component in intermediate state difference spectra to be strongly modified by absorption in low ionisation matter. The variable soft excess then appears to be an artefact of absorption of the underlying continuum while the core soft emission can be attributed to re- combination in an extended region of more highly ionised gas. We note the wider implications of finding substantial cold dense matter overlying (or embedded in) the X-ray continuum source in a luminous Seyfert 1 galaxy.

  20. Development of High Resolution Hard X-Ray Telescope with Multilayer Coatings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brinton, John C. (Technical Monitor); Gorenstein, Paul

    2004-01-01

    The major objective of this program is the development of a focusing hard X-ray telescope with moderately high angular resolution, i .e. comparable to the telescopes of XMM-Newton. The key ingredients of the telescope are a depth graded multilayer coatings and electroformed nickel substrates that are considerably lighter weight than those of previous missions such as XMM-Newton, which have had conventional single metal layer reflective coatings and have operated at much lower energy X-rays. The ultimate target mission for this technology is the Hard X-Ray Telescope (HXT) of the Constellation X-Ray Mission. However, it is applicable to potential SMEX and MIDEX programs as well.

  1. Centaurus A: Source Populations in the Nearest Bright Elliptical

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mushotzky, Richard (Technical Monitor); Murray, Stephen S.

    2003-01-01

    The XMM/Newton observations of the nearby radio galaxy, Centaurus A, have proven to be a rich data set and has given us new insights into several important processes present in Centaurus A. A list of publications, conference proceedings, and conference abstracts related to these data are attached at the end of this document. We have used the XMM/Newton observations to study the interaction between the relativistic, radio emitting plasma emitted from active nuclei with the hot interstellar medium. Centaurus A is the nearest radio galaxy, so that we have been able to study these features at a linear resolution unattainable for any similar object.

  2. ["Anything goes"?: the implicit dialogue between Paul Feyerabend and two Brazilian researchers, Maurício da Rocha e Silva and Newton Freire-Maia].

    PubMed

    Bastos, Francisco Inácio

    2010-03-01

    The philosopher Paul Feyerabend and Brazilian scientists Maurício da Rocha e Silva and Newton Freire-Maia were contemporaries and lived surrounded by the fundamental dilemnas of science. The anarchist proposal of Feyerabend, then embryonic, was formulated in parallel by Rocha e Silva in his criticism of the scientific method. Two decades later, Feyerabend's ideas seemed implicitly to stimulate Newton Freire-Maia in his reflections on science. The web of interrelationships in the ideas of these three men - who never interacted - touches on central issues for Brazilian science from 1960 to 1980, a period in which the latter is consolidated in a dialogue with the nascent reflection on science and the scientific method in Brazil.

  3. The XMM Cluster Outskirts Project (X-COP)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eckert, D.

    2017-10-01

    The outskirts of galaxy clusters (typically the regions located beyond R500) are the regions where the transition between the virialized ICM and the infalling material from the large-scale structure takes place. As such, they play a central role in our understanding of the processes leading to the virialization of the accreting gas within the central dark-matter halo. I will give an overview of the XMM cluster outskirts project (X-COP), a very large program on XMM to study the virial region of galaxy clusters with unprecedented details. I will show how X-ray observations can be combined with the Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal to recover the thermodynamic properties and hydrostatic mass of the ICM, bypassing the need for expensive X-ray spectroscopic observations. I will discuss the results obtained using this technique on Abell 2142 and Abell 2319 and give prospects for the results expected using the full X-COP sample. I will also present recent results on the search for warm-hot baryons in the filaments connected to clusters, emphasizing on the discovery of 3 filaments of 10-million-degree gas connected to the massive cluster Abell 2744.

  4. The Planetary Science Archive (PSA): Exploration and discovery of scientific datasets from ESA's planetary missions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vallat, C.; Besse, S.; Barbarisi, I.; Arviset, C.; De Marchi, G.; Barthelemy, M.; Coia, D.; Costa, M.; Docasal, R.; Fraga, D.; Heather, D. J.; Lim, T.; Macfarlane, A.; Martinez, S.; Rios, C.; Vallejo, F.; Said, J.

    2017-09-01

    The Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is the European Space Agency's (ESA) repository of science data from all planetary science and exploration missions. The PSA provides access to scientific datasets through various interfaces at http://psa.esa.int. All datasets are scientifically peer-reviewed by independent scientists, and are compliant with the Planetary Data System (PDS) standards. The PSA has started to implement a number of significant improvements, mostly driven by the evolution of the PDS standards, and the growing need for better interfaces and advanced applications to support science exploitation.

  5. 3, 2, 1 … Discovering Newton's Laws

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lutz, Joe; Sylvester, Kevin; Oliver, Keith; Herrington, Deborah

    2017-03-01

    "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." "Except when a bug hits your car window, the car must exert more force on the bug because Newton's laws only apply in the physics classroom, right?" Students in our classrooms were able to pick out definitions as well as examples of Newton's three laws; they could recite the laws and even solve for force, mass, and acceleration. However, when given "real world" questions, they would quickly revert to naive explanations. This frustration led to an examination of our approach to teaching Newton's laws. Like many, we taught Newton's laws in their numerical order—first, second, and then third. Students read about the laws, copied definitions, and became proficient with vocabulary before they applied the laws in a lab setting. This paper discusses how we transformed our teaching of Newton's laws by flipping the order (3, 2, 1) and putting the activity before concept, as well as how these changes affected student outcomes.

  6. LoCuSS: comparison of observed X-ray and lensing galaxy cluster scaling relations with simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Y.-Y.; Finoguenov, A.; Böhringer, H.; Kneib, J.-P.; Smith, G. P.; Kneissl, R.; Okabe, N.; Dahle, H.

    2008-05-01

    The Local Cluster Substructure Survey (LoCuSS, Smith et al.) is a systematic multi-wavelength survey of more than 100 X-ray luminous galaxy clusters in the redshift range 0.14-0.3 selected from the ROSAT All Sky Survey. We used data on 37 LoCuSS clusters from the XMM-Newton archive to investigate the global scaling relations of galaxy clusters. The scaling relations based solely on the X-ray data (S-T, S-Y_X, P-Y_X, M-T, M-Y_X, M-M_gas, M_gas-T, L-T, L-Y_X, and L-M) obey empirical self-similarity and reveal no additional evolution beyond the large-scale structure growth. They also reveal up to 17 per cent segregation between all 37 clusters and non-cool core clusters. Weak lensing mass measurements are also available in the literature for 19 of the clusters with XMM-Newton data. The average of the weak lensing mass to X-ray based mass ratio is 1.09± 0.08, setting the limit of the non-thermal pressure support to 9 ± 8 per cent. The mean of the weak lensing mass to X-ray based mass ratio of these clusters is ~1, indicating good agreement between X-ray and weak lensing masses for most clusters, although with 31-51 per cent scatter. The scatter in the mass-observable relations (M-Y_X, M-M_gas, and M-T) is smaller using X-ray based masses than using weak lensing masses by a factor of 2. With the scaled radius defined by the YX profile - r500 Y_X,X, r500YX,wl, and r500Y_X,si, we obtain lower scatter in the weak lensing mass based mass-observable relations, which means the origin of the scatter is M^wl and MX instead of Y_X. The normalization of the M-YX relation using X-ray mass estimates is lower than the one from simulations by up to 18-24 per cent at 3σ significance. This agrees with the M-YX relation based on weak lensing masses, the normalization of the latter being ~20 per cent lower than the one from simulations at ~2σ significance. This difference between observations and simulations is also indicated in the M-M_gas and M-T relations. Despite the large

  7. ESA's Planetary Science Archive: Preserve and present reliable scientific data sets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Besse, S.; Vallat, C.; Barthelemy, M.; Coia, D.; Costa, M.; De Marchi, G.; Fraga, D.; Grotheer, E.; Heather, D.; Lim, T.; Martinez, S.; Arviset, C.; Barbarisi, I.; Docasal, R.; Macfarlane, A.; Rios, C.; Saiz, J.; Vallejo, F.

    2018-01-01

    The European Space Agency (ESA) Planetary Science Archive (PSA) is undergoing a significant refactoring of all its components to improve the services provided to the scientific community and the public. The PSA supports ESA's missions exploring the Solar System by archiving scientific peer-reviewed observations as well as engineering data sets. This includes the Giotto, SMART-1, Huygens, Venus Express, Mars Express, Rosetta, Exomars 2016, Exomars RSP, BepiColombo, and JUICE missions. The PSA is offering a newly designed graphical user interface which is simultaneously meant to maximize the interaction with scientific observations and also minimise the efforts needed to download these scientific observations. The PSA still offers the same services as before (i.e., FTP, documentation, helpdesk, etc.). In addition, it will support the two formats of the Planetary Data System (i.e., PDS3 and PDS4), as well as providing new ways for searching the data products with specific metadata and geometrical parameters. As well as enhanced services, the PSA will also provide new services to improve the visualisation of data products and scientific content (e.g., spectra, etc.). Together with improved access to the spacecraft engineering data sets, the PSA will provide easier access to scientific data products that will help to maximize the science return of ESA's space missions.

  8. X-ray shout echoing through space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2004-01-01

    new gamma-ray satellite, called `Swift', will be launched as part of a collaboration between the USA, United Kingdom and Italy. Swift will add to the flotilla of satellites providing fast and accurate locations of gamma-ray bursts on the sky, which can then be followed with XMM-Newton. This will provide even more opportunities for new discoveries in this cutting-edge field. Notes to editors A scientific paper describing this discovery by Dr. Simon Vaughan and his collaborators has been accepted for publication in ``The Astrophysical Journal'' (see http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0312603). The other members in Vaughan's team are R. Willingale, P. O'Brien, J. Osborne, A. Levan, M. Watson and J. Tedds from the University of Leicester, United Kingdom; J. Reeves from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, USA; D. Watson from the Neils Bohr Institute for Astronomy in Copenhagen, Denmark; M. Santos-Lleo, P. Rodriguez-Pascual and N. Schartel from ESA's XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre in Villafranca, Spain. Figure caption XMM-Newton's X-ray EPIC camera shows the expanding rings caused by a flash of X-rays scattered by dust in our Galaxy. The X-rays were produced by a powerful gamma-ray burst that took place on 3 December 2003. The slowly fading afterglow of the gamma-ray burst is at the centre of the expanding rings. Other, unrelated, X-ray sources can also be seen. The time since the gamma-ray explosion is shown in each panel in hours. At their largest size, the rings would appear in the sky about five times smaller than the full moon. Credit: ESA, S. Vaughan (University of Leicester) Video caption XMM-Newton's X-ray EPIC camera shows the expanding rings caused by a flash of X-rays scattered by dust in our Galaxy. The X-rays were produced by a powerful gamma-ray burst that took place on 3 December 2003. The slowly fading afterglow of the gamma-ray burst is at the centre of the expanding rings. Other, unrelated, X-ray sources can also be seen. The time since the

  9. X-Ray Spectra of Quasars from the ROSAT Public Archive

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Elvis, Martin S.; West, Donald (Technical Monitor)

    2000-01-01

    This has been a most productive proposal. We have: (1) Found many new X-ray absorbed quasars at z>2; (2) Determined that all of these are radio-loud, favoring an intrinsic origin for the absorption; (3) Found that the one radio-quiet exception lay close to a nearby galaxy, so initiating the X-ray study of the ISM of normal galaxies via X-ray spectroscopy; (4) Discovered a class of 'red quasars', probably the tip of a large obscured population; and (5) Discovered a class of 'blank field X-ray sources'. These are a heterogeneous collection but probably include several peculiar types of active galactic nuclei (AGN). Follow-up of the 'blanks' is being undertaken under a separate ADP program. Chandra and XMM-Newton observing time for these objects has been approved. This program has produced six refereed papers and six published conference proceedings.

  10. VizieR Online Data Catalog: Jame Clerk Maxwell Telescope Science Archive (CADC, 2003)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canadian Astronomy Data, Centre

    2018-01-01

    The JCMT Science Archive (JSA), a collaboration between the CADC and EOA, is the official distribution site for observational data obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii. The JSA search interface is provided by the CADC Search tool, which provides generic access to the complete set of telescopic data archived at the CADC. Help on the use of this tool is provided via tooltips. For additional information on instrument capabilities and data reduction, please consult the SCUBA-2 and ACSIS instrument pages provided on the JAC maintained JCMT pages. JCMT-specific help related to the use of the CADC AdvancedSearch tool is available from the JAC. (1 data file).

  11. Wind collisions in three massive stars of Cygnus OB2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cazorla, Constantin; Nazé, Yaël; Rauw, Gregor

    2014-01-01

    Aims: We wish to study the origin of the X-ray emission of three massive stars in the Cyg OB2 association: Cyg OB2 #5, Cyg OB2 #8A, and Cyg OB2 #12. Methods: To this aim, dedicated X-ray observations from XMM-Newton and Swift are used, as well as archival ROSAT and Suzaku data. Results: Our results on Cyg OB2 #8A improve the phase coverage of the orbit and confirm previous studies: the signature of a wind-wind collision is conspicuous. In addition, signatures of a wind-wind collision are also detected in Cyg OB2 #5, but the X-ray emission appears to be associated with the collision between the inner binary and the tertiary component orbiting it with a 6.7 yr period, without a putative collision inside the binary. The X-ray properties strongly constrain the orbital parameters, notably allowing us to discard some proposed orbital solutions. To improve the knowledge of the orbit, we revisit the light curves and radial velocity of the inner binary, looking for reflex motion induced by the third star. Finally, the X-ray emission of Cyg OB2 #12 is also analyzed. It shows a marked decrease in recent years, compatible with either a wind-wind collision in a wide binary or the aftermath of a recent eruption. Based on observations collected at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP) as well as with Swift and XMM-Newton.Tables 1-3 and 5 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  12. A multi-wavelength investigation of the non-thermal radio emitting O-star 9 Sgr

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rauw, G.; Blomme, R.; Waldron, W. L.; Corcoran, M. F.; Pittard, J. M.; Pollock, A. M. T.; Runacres, M. C.; Sana, H.; Stevens, I. R.; Van Loo, S.

    2002-11-01

    We report the results of a multi-wavelength investigation of the O4 V star 9 Sgr (= HD 164794). Our data include observations in the X-ray domain with XMM-Newton, in the radio domain with the VLA as well as optical spectroscopy. 9 Sgr is one of a few presumably single OB stars that display non-thermal radio emission. This phenomenon is attributed to synchrotron emission by relativistic electrons accelerated in strong hydrodynamic shocks in the stellar wind. Given the enormous supply of photospheric UV photons in the wind of 9 Sgr, inverse Compton scattering by these relativistic electrons is a priori expected to generate a non-thermal power law tail in the X-ray spectrum. Our EPIC and RGS spectra of 9 Sgr reveal a more complex situation than expected from this simple theoretical picture. While the bulk of the thermal X-ray emission from 9 Sgr arises most probably in a plasma at temperature ~ 3 x 106 K distributed throughout the wind, the nature of the hard emission in the X-ray spectrum is less clear. Assuming a non-thermal origin, our best fitting model yields a photon index of >=2.9 for the power law component which would imply a low compression ratio of <=1.79 for the shocks responsible for the electron acceleration. However, the hard emission can also be explained by a thermal plasma at a temperature >=2 x 107 K. Our VLA data indicate that the radio emission of 9 Sgr was clearly non-thermal at the time of the XMM-Newton observation. Again, we derive a low compression ratio (1.7) for the shocks that accelerate the electrons responsible for the synchrotron radio emission. Finally, our optical spectra reveal long-term radial velocity variations suggesting that 9 Sgr could be a long-period spectroscopic binary. Based on observations with XMM-Newton, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member states and the USA (NASA). Also based on observations collected at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) and with the

  13. "To Improve upon Hints of Things": Illustrating Isaac Newton.

    PubMed

    Schilt, Cornelis J

    2016-01-01

    When Isaac Newton died in 1727 he left a rich legacy in terms of draft manuscripts, encompassing a variety of topics: natural philosophy, mathematics, alchemy, theology, and chronology, as well as papers relating to his career at the Mint. One thing that immediately strikes us is the textuality of Newton's legacy: images are sparse. Regarding his scholarly endeavours we witness the same practice. Newton's extensive drafts on theology and chronology do not contain a single illustration or map. Today we have all of Newton's draft manuscripts as witnesses of his working methods, as well as access to a significant number of books from his own library. Drawing parallels between Newton's reading practices and his natural philosophical and scholarly work, this paper seeks to understand Newton's recondite writing and publishing politics.

  14. Semismooth Newton method for gradient constrained minimization problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anyyeva, Serbiniyaz; Kunisch, Karl

    2012-08-01

    In this paper we treat a gradient constrained minimization problem, particular case of which is the elasto-plastic torsion problem. In order to get the numerical approximation to the solution we have developed an algorithm in an infinite dimensional space framework using the concept of the generalized (Newton) differentiation. Regularization was done in order to approximate the problem with the unconstrained minimization problem and to make the pointwise maximum function Newton differentiable. Using semismooth Newton method, continuation method was developed in function space. For the numerical implementation the variational equations at Newton steps are discretized using finite elements method.

  15. ROSETTA: How to archive more than 10 years of mission

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barthelemy, Maud; Heather, D.; Grotheer, E.; Besse, S.; Andres, R.; Vallejo, F.; Barnes, T.; Kolokolova, L.; O'Rourke, L.; Fraga, D.; A'Hearn, M. F.; Martin, P.; Taylor, M. G. G. T.

    2018-01-01

    The Rosetta spacecraft was launched in 2004 and, after several planetary and two asteroid fly-bys, arrived at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in August 2014. After escorting the comet for two years and executing its scientific observations, the mission ended on 30 September 2016 through a touch down on the comet surface. This paper describes how the Planetary Science Archive (PSA) and the Planetary Data System - Small Bodies Node (PDS-SBN) worked with the Rosetta instrument teams to prepare the science data collected over the course of the Rosetta mission for inclusion in the science archive. As Rosetta is an international mission in collaboration between ESA and NASA, all science data from the mission are fully archived within both the PSA and the PDS. The Rosetta archiving process, supporting tools, archiving systems, and their evolution throughout the mission are described, along with a discussion of a number of the challenges faced during the Rosetta implementation. The paper then presents the current status of the archive for each of the science instruments, before looking to the improvements planned both for the archive itself and for the Rosetta data content. The lessons learned from the first 13 years of archiving on Rosetta are finally discussed with an aim to help future missions plan and implement their science archives.

  16. Archival policies and collections database for the Woods Hole Science Center's marine sediment samples

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Buczkowski, Brian J.; Kelsey, Sarah A.

    2007-01-01

    The Woods Hole Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been an active member of the Woods Hole research community, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, for over 40 years. In that time there have been many projects that involved the collection of sediment samples conducted by USGS scientists and technicians for the research and study of seabed environments and processes. These samples were collected at sea or near shore and then brought back to the Woods Hole Science Center (WHSC) for analysis. While at the center, samples are stored in ambient temperature, refrigerated and freezing conditions ranging from +2º Celsius to -18º Celsius, depending on the best mode of preparation for the study being conducted or the duration of storage planned for the samples. Recently, storage methods and available storage space have become a major concern at the WHSC. The core and sediment archive program described herein has been initiated to set standards for the management, methods, and duration of sample storage. A need has arisen to maintain organizational consistency and define storage protocol. This handbook serves as a reference and guide to all parties interested in using and accessing the WHSC's sample archive and also defines all the steps necessary to construct and maintain an organized collection of geological samples. It answers many questions as to the way in which the archive functions.

  17. Newton-Cartan gravity and torsion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergshoeff, Eric; Chatzistavrakidis, Athanasios; Romano, Luca; Rosseel, Jan

    2017-10-01

    We compare the gauging of the Bargmann algebra, for the case of arbitrary torsion, with the result that one obtains from a null-reduction of General Relativity. Whereas the two procedures lead to the same result for Newton-Cartan geometry with arbitrary torsion, the null-reduction of the Einstein equations necessarily leads to Newton-Cartan gravity with zero torsion. We show, for three space-time dimensions, how Newton-Cartan gravity with arbitrary torsion can be obtained by starting from a Schrödinger field theory with dynamical exponent z = 2 for a complex compensating scalar and next coupling this field theory to a z = 2 Schrödinger geometry with arbitrary torsion. The latter theory can be obtained from either a gauging of the Schrödinger algebra, for arbitrary torsion, or from a null-reduction of conformal gravity.

  18. The SAMI Galaxy Survey: A prototype data archive for Big Science exploration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konstantopoulos, I. S.; Green, A. W.; Foster, C.; Scott, N.; Allen, J. T.; Fogarty, L. M. R.; Lorente, N. P. F.; Sweet, S. M.; Hopkins, A. M.; Bland-Hawthorn, J.; Bryant, J. J.; Croom, S. M.; Goodwin, M.; Lawrence, J. S.; Owers, M. S.; Richards, S. N.

    2015-11-01

    We describe the data archive and database for the SAMI Galaxy Survey, an ongoing observational program that will cover ≈3400 galaxies with integral-field (spatially-resolved) spectroscopy. Amounting to some three million spectra, this is the largest sample of its kind to date. The data archive and built-in query engine use the versatile Hierarchical Data Format (HDF5), which precludes the need for external metadata tables and hence the setup and maintenance overhead those carry. The code produces simple outputs that can easily be translated to plots and tables, and the combination of these tools makes for a light system that can handle heavy data. This article acts as a contextual companion to the SAMI Survey Database source code repository, samiDB, which is freely available online and written entirely in Python. We also discuss the decisions related to the selection of tools and the creation of data visualisation modules. It is our aim that the work presented in this article-descriptions, rationale, and source code-will be of use to scientists looking to set up a maintenance-light data archive for a Big Science data load.

  19. Science Archives in the 21st Century: A NASA LAMBDA Report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butterworth, P.; Greason, M.

    2007-01-01

    Lambda is a thematic data center that focuses on serving the cosmic microwave background (CMB) research community. LAMBDA is an active archive for NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) mission data sets. In addition, LAMBDA provides analysis software, on-line tools, relevant ancillary data and important web links. LAMBDA also tries to preserve the most important ground-based and suborbital CMB data sets. CMB data is unlike other astrophysical data, consisting of intrinsically diffuse surface brightness photometry with a signal contrast of the order 1 part in 100,000 relative to the uniform background. Because of the extremely faint signal levels, the signal-to-noise ratio is relatively low and detailed instrument-specific knowledge of the data is essential. While the number of data sets being produced is not especially large, those data sets are becoming large and complex. That tendency will increase when the many polarization experiments currently being deployed begin producing data. The LAMBDA experience supports many aspects of the NASA data archive model developed informally over the last ten years-that small focused data centers are often more effective than larger more ambitious collections, for example; that data centers are usually best run by active scientists; that it can be particularly advantageous if those scientists are leaders in the use of the archived data sets; etc. LAMBDA has done some things so well that they might provide lessons for other archives. A lot of effort has been devoted to developing a simple and consistent interface to data sets, for example; and serving all the documentation required via simple 'more' pages and longer explanatory supplements. Many of the problems faced by LAMBDA will also not surprise anyone trying to manage other space science data. These range from persuading mission scientists to provide their data as quickly as possible, to dealing with a high volume of

  20. Cassini Archive Tracking System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Conner, Diane; Sayfi, Elias; Tinio, Adrian

    2006-01-01

    The Cassini Archive Tracking System (CATS) is a computer program that enables tracking of scientific data transfers from originators to the Planetary Data System (PDS) archives. Without CATS, there is no systematic means of locating products in the archive process or ensuring their completeness. By keeping a database of transfer communications and status, CATS enables the Cassini Project and the PDS to efficiently and accurately report on archive status. More importantly, problem areas are easily identified through customized reports that can be generated on the fly from any Web-enabled computer. A Web-browser interface and clearly defined authorization scheme provide safe distributed access to the system, where users can perform functions such as create customized reports, record a transfer, and respond to a transfer. CATS ensures that Cassini provides complete science archives to the PDS on schedule and that those archives are available to the science community by the PDS. The three-tier architecture is loosely coupled and designed for simple adaptation to multimission use. Written in the Java programming language, it is portable and can be run on any Java-enabled Web server.