The idea that ellipticals can be formed from the merger of two spirals is akey concept in modern astrophysics. An outstanding issue however, is that ofhow the gas is removed from the system. Our previous work with ROSAT hintedthat the mechanism was massive gas ejection at the nuclear merger stage.Details of the expelled gas properties, at various stages of the mergerprocess, can now be explored for the first time by utilizing the highsensitivity and resolution of XMM. Such a study will constrain ourunderstanding of the merger process, the physics of star formation and gasejection, elliptical galaxy formation, the enrichment of the IGM, and thebaryon content of the universe.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2001-11-13T00:10:38Z/2002-05-15T15:42:45Z
Version
17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description
The European Space Agencys (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESAs second cornerstone of the Horizon 2000 Science Programme. It carries 3 high throughput X-ray telescopes with an unprecedented effective area, and an optical monitor, the first flown on a X-ray observatory. The large collecting area and ability to make long uninterrupted exposures provide highly sensitive observations. Since Earths atmosphere blocks out all X-rays, only a telescope in space can detect and study celestial X-ray sources. The XMM-Newton mission is helping scientists to solve a number of cosmic mysteries, ranging from the enigmatic black holes to the origins of the Universe itself. Observing time on XMM-Newton is being made available to the scientific community, applying for observational periods on a competitive basis.
European Space Agency, Dr Andrew Read, 2003, 'Gas and Metal Losses from Interacting and Merging Galaxies', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-bem6871
