Optical observations of P13 in NGC 7793 allowed us to determine for the firsttime the mass of the black hole in an ULX, clearly indicating super-Eddingtonaccretion. The donor is a B8I star in an eccentric orbit. Swift XRT monitoringrevealed a likely eclipse as well as an extended faint state. Our serendipitousfaint state Chandra spectrum shows evidence of redshifted iron line which wetentatively assign to a jet. We propose to obtain high S/N spectra of thebright, faint and eclipse states. Spectral properties of the bright state willdefine the key signatures of super-critical accretion. Eclipse observation willallow us to constrain the orbit and to possibly reveal evidence of bulk motion.Faint state observations will likely provide the first direct detection of a jet in an ULX.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2012-05-14T03:27:02Z/2013-11-25T18:01:24Z
Version
PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE
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 Christian Motch, 2014, 'ULX P13 in NGC 7793: A super-Eddington accreting black hole', PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-be3i4ot
