Dramatic optical/IR outbursts from PMS stars, which signal the onset of rapidmass-infall onto such stars through their accretion disks, cannot be predicted.However, our X-ray monitoring of the outbursts of V1647 Ori demonstrates that ahigh accretion rate can also produce an X-ray outburst, and, indeed, that X-raymonitoring of PMS accretion outbursts represents a new observational window onthe magnetic interaction between the stellar magnetosphere and the accretiondisk. We propose a 40 ks-exposure XMM-Newton ToO of any optical/IR outburst fromPMS star to perform X-ray spectroscopy with EPIC and to investigate X-rayvariability on a timescale of hours.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2013-03-09T05:56:27Z/2013-03-09T15:21:44Z
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 Nicolas Grosso, 2014, 'Pre-planned ToO of a pre-main sequence star undergoing an optical-IR outburst', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-wsa8dcn
