The AGILE and Fermi missions have detected hundreds of unidentified GeV sourcesin the Galactic plane, but only a handful have been correlated with X-ray oroptical counterparts. Several of these are high mass X-ray binaries that alsoexhibit MeV, GeV, and/or TeV emission, leading to a new class of gamma-raybinaries. More than half of all HMXB contain Be stars, and likewise most of theknown gamma-ray binaries are Be star systems. We have identified three new Bestars that may be associated with GeV point sources, and we propose XMM-Newtonobservations to measure the position, flux, and spectral properties of the X-raycounterparts. Our modest time request will help identify several unknown GeVpoint sources, potentially doubling the number of known Be/gamma-ray binaries.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2012-02-04T06:45:54Z/2012-03-24T17:15:38Z
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 M. Virginia McSwain, 2013, 'X-ray Counterparts of Be Gamma-ray Binary Candidates', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-c4zgkes
