IC 443 is a Galactic supernova remnant with a peculiar morphology: acenter-filled thermal X-ray emission within a radio/optical shell. The presenceof overionized plasma, addressed in previous works, would be a robust clue tothe nature of the center-bright X-rays, which is not yet understood. Our studiesshow significant spectral variations across the remnant, which may lead to thefictitious detection of overionization. We propose a deep observation of thenortheast region in order to obtain a high-quality dataset, and perform aspatially resolved spectroscopy of the brightest X-ray emission of IC 443. Weaim to decisively address the issue of overionization, and to constrain themechanisms of X-ray production from the center of this remnant.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2010-03-07T23:11:04Z/2010-03-09T01:05:21Z
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, Ms Eleonora Troja, 2011, 'Overionization in supernova remnants: a deep look at the SNR IC 443', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-xt4125i
