Systematic studies of the X-ray properties of pulsars are hampered by theuncertainty in their distances, with various commonly invoked distanceindicators leading to estimates that can differ by a factor of 2 or more. Wewish to explore the effectiveness of X-ray based distance estimates with asystematic study of pulsars which have well determined parallax distancedeterminations. We request exploratory XMM-Newton observations of 9 pulsars withmodest spin-down powers and good radio parallax measurements in order to expandthe number of systems usable for such studies.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2014-09-12T11:56:07Z/2014-09-27T08:29:04Z
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 Mallory Roberts, 2015, 'Expanding the X-Ray Sample of Radio Pulsars With Accurate Parallax Distances', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-um8c70j
