1A 1246-588 is a persistently accreting low-mass X-ray binary at a distance of 5kpc and with an absorption of NH=4E21 cm-2. The persistent luminosity is virgul0.5%of the Eddington limit. This puts the source in an interesting accretion regime,possibly due to an ultracompact binary orbit. We propose to observe 1A1246-588with XMM-Newton and VLT/FORS2 to secure the suspected opticalcounterpart and ultracompact nature, carry out high-resolution spectroscopy ofsuspected anomalous abundances of Ne, Fe and O with RGS and H, He, C and O withVLT/FORS2, and to search for an orbital period in the X-ray lightcurve toinvestigate the evolutionary history of the binary.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2006-08-31T21:01:54Z/2006-09-01T08:31:36Z
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 Jean in 't Zand, 2007, 'New ultracompact binaries comma new opportunities: the case for 1A 1246-588', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-1nyx73k
