| Proposal ID | 030282 |
| Title | A White Dwarf Accreting Asteroids |
| Download Data Associated to the proposal | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0302820101 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-d2va9x0 |
| Principal Investigator, PI | Dr Michael Muno |
| Abstract | We propose to observe the isolated white dwarf G29-38 (D = 14 pc) to search forX-rays from the accretion of circumstellar material. Most white dwarfs haveatmospheres that are either pure H or He, but G29-38 is rare in that it alsoexhibits atmospheric metal lines, even though metals should settle out of thephotosphere is only ~20 years. G29-38 also exhibits excess infrared emissionfrom orbiting dust that may have been produced by the tidal disruption of anasteroid. Accretion from this dust can account for the atmospheric metals. Weexpect between 3x10^25 and 8x10^27 erg/s in X-rays; the exact value wouldprovide the first measurement of the efficiency of X-ray production at accretionrates orders of magnitudes below those detectable in CVs. |
| Publications |
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| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2005-11-28T20:41:30Z/2005-11-29T03:35:08Z |
| 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. |
| Creator Contact | https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk |
| Date Published | 2007-02-04T00:00:00Z |
| Last Update | 2025-01-27 |
| Keywords | "circumstellar material", "exact value", "white dwarfs", "xray production", "tidal disruption", "accretion rates", "excess infrared emission", "atmospheric metal lines", "atmospheric metals", "orbiting dust" |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, Dr Michael Muno, 2007, 'A White Dwarf Accreting Asteroids', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-d2va9x0 |