Only 7 Galactic binary systems displaying GeV/TeV emission are known, and thephysical properties of these powerful accelerators are still under discussion.The Be star HD 215227, displaying a photometric period of 60 days, has beensuggested to be a new gamma-ray binary, although no X-ray counterpart has beenfound in the limited archival data available. Our recent optical spectroscopicresults unveil that HD 215227 is indeed a binary system, and the orbitalephemeris have allowed us to predict the epochs of expected enhanced X-rayemission. We request a 10-ks observation 0.3 orbital phases after periastron todiscover the X-ray counterpart and unveil the non-thermal nature of the putativeX-ray source. We are conducting multi-wavelength studies of the source.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2013-06-04T04:57:00Z/2013-06-04T08:48:50Z
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, Mr Pere Munar Adrover, 2014, 'Revealing the X-ray counterpart of the gamma-ray binary candidate HD 215227', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-vj35trk
