| Name | 074224 |
| Title | Extreme ULXs revisited: spectral state changes as a diagnostic of IMBHs |
| URL | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0742240801 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ui476he |
| Author | European Space Agency |
| Description | Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) are predicted to have formed throughout cosmic history, and to have seeded supermassive black holes; yet we still have no clear dynamical evidence for any such object. However, recent observations of the most luminous of the ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are showing increasing evidence for IMBHs, most notable of which is the apparent sub-Eddington state transitions shown by ESO 243-49 HLX-1. Here, we propose EPIC ToOs, triggered from Swift monitoring, for four extreme luminosity ULXs that have observational properties consistent with the hard state for an IMBH. We will use these to search for sub-Eddington state transitions, that may serve as a smoking gun for the presence of an IMBH in these objects. |
| Publication | No observations found associated with the current proposal |
| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2016-12-27T08:10:26Z/2016-12-28T00:17:06Z |
| 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 | 2018-01-19T23:00:00Z |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, 2018, Extreme Ulxs Revisited: Spectral State Changes As A Diagnostic Of Imbhs, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-ui476he |