A dataset provided by the European Space Agency

Name 072386
Title XMM-Newton Monitoring of the Most Luminous Off-Nuclear IMBH Candidate
URL

https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0723860101
https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0723860201

DOI https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-8b494fa
Author Dr Dacheng Lin
Description Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH, virgul10^2-10^5 solar mass) have been long
sought after because they are predicted to exist in several important
astrophysical processes and are also leading candidates for gravitational wave
emission. The strongest IMBH candidates are hyperluminous off-nuclear X-ray
sources (HLX) with Lx > 10^{41} erg/s, but very few candidates are found around
this limit. We have identified a new HLX candidate with an estimated X-ray
luminosity of 10^{43} erg/s at a distance about 2 Gpc. Thus it could be the most
luminous and the most distant IMBH known and provide strong evidence for IMBH
existence. We propose a follow-up observation of the source by XMM-Newton to
monitor possible large spectral/flux change as seen in ESO 243-49 HLX-1
Publication No observations found associated with the current proposal
Instrument EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage 2014-01-05T11:01:35Z/2014-01-05T21:02:05Z
Version 17.56_20190403_1200
Mission Description The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's 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 Earth's 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.
Creator Contact https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk
Date Published 2015-01-27T23:00:00Z
Publisher And Registrant European Space Agency
Credit Guidelines European Space Agency, Dr Dacheng Lin, 2015, 072386, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-8b494fa