| Proposal ID | 050587 |
| Title | The 6.7 keV-line emission in the Galactic Centre |
| Download Data Associated to the proposal | 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 ~35 as a test of the competing scenarios for its origin. |
| Publications |
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| 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 |
| Last Update | 2025-01-27 |
| Keywords | "kev line attributable", "surface brightness distribution", "ka emission", "kev line emission", "summed emission", "kev line originates", "galactic centre", "relatively smooth", "stellar population", "kev line", "surface brightness" |
| 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 |