The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on Fermi has detected virgul100 gamma-ray pulsars andrevolutionized our understanding of these objects and their high-energyemission. One important open question is whether there are any radio-quietgamma-ray MSPs. The answer has profound implications for our understanding ofthe geometry and emission mechanisms of pulsars. Blind searches for gamma-rayMSPs are hampered by the large uncertainties in LAT positions. We propose to useXMM to identify plausible X-ray counterparts of 4 bright high-Galactic-latitudeLAT sources which are plausible radio-quiet MSP. This will enable sensitiveblind searches for pulsations in LAT data. We will determine the X-ray position,flux, and spectral properties in the 0.3-10 keV energy band for any X-ray sources detected.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2012-06-16T12:17:48Z/2012-08-21T10:25:14Z
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 Pablo Saz Parkinson, 2013, 'Search for X-ray counterparts of radio-quiet MSPs in Fermi LAT sources', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-7fjrcuj
