Magnetars have been observed to increase their flux output by several orders ofmagnitude in outbursts. Following outbursts, they cool on timescales of monthsto years. We propose to observe the magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606 using XMM as thesource approaches its quiescent state following the recent outburst in 2011. Wewill measure the flux and spectral properties of the source at two differentepochs during AO12 in order to constrain the form of its flux decay. We willtest a newly developed crustal cooling model and constrain the properties of themagnetar, such as the crust thickness and heat capacity, as well as the physicsof the outburst, such as the location of energy deposition.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2014-03-08T06:59:15Z/2014-03-08T20:19:15Z
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 Victoria Kaspi, 2015, 'Measuring the cooling curve of magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-p3g2oa3
