A dataset provided by the European Space Agency

Proposal ID 050587
Title The 6.7 keV-line emission in the Galactic Centre
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https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0505870301

DOI https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-20kxbih
Principal Investigator, PI Dr Masaaki Sakano
Abstract The Galactic Centre Region emits a strong 6.7-keV line attributable to Kaemission of He-like iron, of which the origin has remained a puzzle since itsdiscovery. Arguably, recent Chandra results imply that the line is produced in ahot extended plasma. However, we have shown that the line has a relativelysmooth, circularly symmetric distribution centred on Sgr A* and a surfacebrightness which falls off with radius as 1/r over the range r=3.-12.. Thismirrors the distribution of the stellar population and adds strong support tothe hypothesis that the 6.7-keV line originates in the summed emission of faintpoint sources. Here we propose to measure the surface brightness distribution ofthe 6.7-keV line out to a radius of virgul35. as a test of the competing scenarios for its origin.
Publications
Instrument EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage 2008-03-09T23:44:18Z/2008-03-10T08:36:15Z
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 2009-04-11T00:00:00Z
Keywords "galactic centre", "kev line originates", "surface brightness", "kev line", "kev line attributable", "ka emission", "summed emission", "surface brightness distribution", "stellar population", "kev line emission", "relatively smooth"
Publisher And Registrant European Space Agency
Credit Guidelines European Space Agency, Dr Masaaki Sakano, 2009, 'The 6.7 keV-line emission in the Galactic Centre', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-20kxbih