We request 100 ksec (net) to study the X-ray properties of the halo of M31. Wepropose to observe 10 halo fields for 10 ksec each, covering 1200 kpc^2. XMMwill detect all point sources with luminosities above virgul10^36 ergs/s; we expectto discover 50-150 M31 halo X-ray sources, including X-ray binaries ejected fromGCs, X-ray binaries ejected from the galaxy.s disk, very hot central stars ofplanetary nebulae, and supersoft X-ray binaries. The fields we have choseninclude 27 globular clusters (GCs), which comprise almost 1/3 of all GCs notprojected onto the the galaxy.s optical disk. These observations will testmodels of galactic halo populations, as well as models for the formation ofX-ray binaries in GCs.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2002-12-29T05:55:31Z/2003-07-01T16:50:48Z
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 Rosanne Di Stefano, 2004, 'X-Ray Emission from the Halo of M31', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-gha6emb
