We propose a detailed spectroscopic study the SFXT IGR J18483-0311 at apastron,during its lowest X-ray luminosity state.To date this is the only SFXT whichexhibits in its X-ray spectrum hints of two spectral emission lines at 3.28 keVand 5.04 keV. They have been ascribed to electron cyclotron emission and firstharmonic respectively, allowing the first direct measurement of the NS magneticfield in a SFXT. We propose a 40 ks XMM observation aimed at obtaining: i) thefirm detection of the two putative lines with good significance level,ii) theparameters of both lines with unprecedented accuracy iii) the location of theline-forming region. If firmly confirmed, this will be the first detection of acyclotron feature in a SFXT, with crucial implications on the theoretical models
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2013-04-18T03:18:52Z/2013-04-18T19:19:17Z
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 Vito Sguera, 2014, 'First case of cyclotron emission line from a SFXT system: an in-depth study', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-3vfculf
