Recently, a new generation of polarimetric instruments has uncovered apopulation of massive OB-stars hosting strong, organized magnetic fields.Magnetic channeling of these OB stars. strong winds leads to the formation oflarge-scale shock-heated magnetospheres. Using the new analysis of trends in 64magnetic OB stars (Petit et al. 2013), we have identified an important region ofmagnetosphere parameter space for which X-ray trends can provide importantconstraints on the shock physics and general properties of these magnetospheres.We propose to probe the centrifugal magnetospheres of B-type stars using EPICobservations of 7 stars that will provide stringent tests of the MagneticallyConfined Wind Shock (MCWS) paradigm of massive star X-ray emission.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2014-04-01T22:51:00Z/2014-09-03T10:06:07Z
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 Veronique Petit, 2015, 'Probing centrifugal magnetospheres of B-type stars', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-kk4ef08
