Deep Fe K-shell absorption features are rarely found in quasars and their existence has not been convincingly justified in observations. If they do exist, as suggested in a few candidates, these features may indicate the presence of an additional substantial gas component in these objects. Evidence of a deep, possibly ionized Fe K-shell edge has been recently discovered in the lobe-dominated radio quasar 3C249.1 in our work,making it the second quasar of this kind. With the unprecedented effective area of XMM, we will be able to give convincing confirmation of their existence, and to determine the ionization stage, column density and Fe abundance of the absorbing gas, and, hopefully, to identify its origin.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2002-11-01T02:44:13Z/2002-11-01T09:07:48Z
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 Weimin Yuan, 2003, 'Exploring ionized gas in the quasar 3C249.1 with Fe K-shell absorption', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-rj7hrio
