The Galactic bulge region is a rich host of variable X-ray and gamma-ray point sources. Since AO-3 we are monitoring about 190 of them with one hexagonal pattern about every 3 days, whenever the region is visible by INTEGRAL. Due to the high scientific return and in order to preserve the continuity with respect to past observations of this ever-changing region, we propose to continue our successful program. Our main aim is to monitor and actively report on any (transient) activity; in the long run the program is providing regular and homogeneous inputs about the soft and hard-X-ray (transient) population, as well as on the accretion regimes in the various types of binary systems. As a service to the scientific community, the observations are to be made public. We will continue to make the IBIS/ISGRI and JEM-X quick-look results publicly available through the web soon after the data have been taken, to preserve the possibility for rapid follow-up by the community.
Publications
Broadband X-ray spectral and timing properties of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar IGR J17498-2921 during the 2023 outburst - Li, Z. S., Kuiper, L.,Pan, Y. Y.,Falanga, M.,Poutanen, J.,Chen, Y. P.,Xu, R. X.,Ge, M. Y.,Huang, Y.,Song, L. M.,Zhang, S.,Lu, F. J.,Zhang, S. N. (2024-11-01) http://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/#abs/2024A&A...691A..92L
Searching for orbital period modulation in X-ray observations of the symbiotic X-ray binary GX 1+4 - Klawin, Moritz, Ducci, Lorenzo,Mirac Serim, M.,Santangelo, Andrea,Ferrigno, Carlo,Bozzo, Enrico (2024-12-01) http://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/#abs/2024A&A...692A..19K
Temporal Coverage
2023-02-09T16:32:49Z / 2023-10-06T16:10:58Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The INTEGRAL (International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory) mission, launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) on October 17, 2002, was designed to study high-energy phenomena in the universe. INTEGRAL was operating until february 2025 and it was equipped with three high-energy instruments: the Imager on Board the INTEGRAL Satellite (IBIS), the Spectrometer on INTEGRAL (SPI), and the JEM-X (Joint European Monitor for X-rays). Its Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) provided optical V-band magnitude measurements, complementing the high-energy observations.
European Space Agency, Kuulkers, 2025, 'Regular and frequent INTEGRAL monitoring of the Galactic Bulge region', 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-7sdmgjd
