Swift monitoring of the intermediate mass black hole candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1found that in August 2009 it dropped in flux by an order of magnitude inconjunction with a possible spectral hardening. The limited throughput of theSwift XRT prevents us from confirming that HLX-1 undergoes transitions betweenthe same canonical spectral states as Galactic black hole binaries. Havingperformed XMM observations in the high/soft state, we wish to obtain a highquality X-ray spectrum in the low state to confirm the hardening suggested bythe XRT. This is the missing piece before conclusions can be drawn from thecomparison of its spectral properties with those of Galactic black hole systems.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2010-05-14T08:35:03Z/2010-05-15T14:07:04Z
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 Sean Farrell, 2011, 'Confirming spectral state transitions in ESO 243-49 HLX-1', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-v7t4d1w
