RX J0852.0-4622 and its central neutron star candidate are probably of the most interesting remnants which can be studied at X-ray energies today. From a previous XMM observation we have detected pulsed X-ray emission from the compact remnant at about 470 ms. Although spectral analysis did not discriminate between thermal and nonthermal emission we detected unmodeled hard-tail emission beyond 3 keV and a spectral feature at 0.78 keV, making this source most promising for spectral studies of neutron star emission models. We propose deep XMM observation to further study the discovered spectral and temporal emission properties of the pulsar candidate in greater detail.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2003-05-21T09:10:51Z/2003-06-26T03:52:14Z
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 Werner Becker, 2004, 'Exploring the Pulsar Candidate in the Vela-Jr. SNR', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-xz0dpq9
