Understanding the physical nature of the x-ray emission from quiescent neutronstar x-ray transients is important for establishing observable differencesbetween quiescent neutron-star and black hole x-ray transients and in usingx-ray observations to measure the physical parameters of the neutron stars, suchas their mass and radius. Much effort has been devoted to measuring spectra ofquiescent neutron stars, but serious ambiguities remain in interpretation. Detection of pulsations, or stringent upper limits, would provide a powerfulmeans to discriminate between the various models. We propose a sensitive searchfor pulsations from Cen X-4.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2003-03-01T15:29:57Z/2003-03-02T14:48:11Z
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 Philip Kaaret, 2005, 'Searching for Pulsations from Cen X-4', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-5mhyevs
