XMM has been at the forefront of the recent discovery X-ray relativisticreverberation. Short Fe K delays have been observed in seven objects. To advancebeyond mere detections, we propose to observe the bright AGN NGC 4151 for 350 ksto directly measure the relativistic transfer function, which encodes thegeometry, dynamics and the way space-time alters the path of light through thepotential of the black hole. NGC 4151 is the ideal laboratory for such anexperiment because of its brightness, variability and the existing reverberationlags. Combing the new and archival data will allow us to measure the Fe Kresponse at many time-scales providing a first direct measurement of thetransfer function. XMM is currently the only telescope capable of achieving such a legacy goal prior to Athena.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2015-11-12T13:24:17Z/2015-12-22T22:14:03Z
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 ABDERAHMEN ZOGHBI, 2017, 'Measuring the relativistic transfer function in NGC 4151', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-1dxqomt
