We request 50 ks of XMM time for observations of theradio pulsars PSRs B0154+61 and B1916+14 in order todetect cooling thermal emission from their surfaces.These sources are young, nearby, have low spin-downluminosities, which implies that there will belittle contamination from non-thermal processes, and,of particular interest, have large magnetic fields.The requested observations will cleanly test modelpredictions for the dependence of the properties ofcooling radiation on the stellar magnetic field.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2003-03-06T14:28:48Z/2003-03-06T23:26:05Z
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, Prof Victoria Kaspi, 2004, 'Neutron Star Thermal Emission and Magnetic Fields', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ygig7c6
