The thermal dominant state is the best understood emission state in black holebinaries, but is rarely found in ULXs. Identification of ULXs in the thermaldominant state would allow us to compare them with Galactic black holes directlyand place constraints on their masses. A previous XMM observation of NGC 247revealed that 1RXS J004704.8-204743 was possibly in the thermal dominant state.However, that observation was short and highly contaminated by backgroundflares. We request a 28 ks EPIC observation to obtain a high quality spectrum ofthe source, in order to determine whether or not the source is in the thermaldominant state and derive its properties from spectral fitting.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2009-12-27T19:18:30Z/2009-12-28T04:58:46Z
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 Hua Feng, 2011, '1RXS J004704.8-204743: A ULX in the Thermal Dominant State', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ziulgmh
