We have recently identified the first sample of Seyfert 2 nuclei in hostgalaxies with stellar velocity dispersions smaller than 60 km/s, as a way todetect and study black holes with likely masses below 10^6 solar masses. Thesegalaxies are Type 2 analogs of dwarf Seyfert 1 galaxies such as NGC 4395 andPOX 52. We propose to obtain XMM exposures of four Seyfert 2 galaxies withstellar velocity dispersions in the range 25-47 km/s in order to (a) determineX-ray luminosities as part of an overall program to measure the SEDs of thesesources; (b) determine the amount of X-ray absorption to establish whether theseare obscured versions of NLS1 galaxies; (c) search for variability, which isexpected for AGNs with very low black hole masses.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2006-05-06T05:51:34Z/2006-11-25T18:49:46Z
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 Aaron Barth, 2007, 'X-ray Emission from Seyfert 2 Galaxies with Low-Mass Black Holes', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-g6173wd
