| Name | 040434 |
| Title | A Magnetar and Friends in the Galactic Super Star Cluster Westerlund 1 |
| URL | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0404340101 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-bc7d0eu |
| Author | European Space Agency |
| Description | We are requesting a single XMM observation (45 ks) to determine whether the 10.6 s X-ray pulsar that we recently discovered in the Galactic super star cluster Westerlund 1 is a magnetar. The pulsar is notable because, as a member of Westerlund 1, we know that the initial mass of the pulsar.s progenitor was at least 40 Msun. Measuring the B-field strength would reveal the role of magnetic fields in allowing 30 Msun stars to lose 95% of their mass and become neutron stars. Westerlund 1 also may harbor 10 more compact objects that would be detectable with XMM. Discovering these would add significantly to the handful of observational limits on the mapping between initial stellar masses and the compact objects they leave behind. |
| Publication | No observations found associated with the current proposal |
| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2006-09-16T18:36:42Z/2006-09-17T07:55:10Z |
| Version | 17.56_20190403_1200 |
| Mission Description | The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's 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 Earth's 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 | 2007-10-18T00:00:00Z |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, 2007, A Magnetar And Friends In The Galactic Super Star Cluster Westerlund 1, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-bc7d0eu |