A key outstanding question in galaxy formation is whether virgul1e12 Msun galaxieslike the Milky-Way (MW) are able to retain their cosmic baryon fraction, and, ifso, where and in what form are these baryons located? While the location ofthese ..Missing Baryons. has been studied inconclusively so far in diskgalaxies there is recent evidence that some MW-size elliptical galaxies maypossess the cosmic baryon fraction within their virial radii. We propose an XMMobservation of the massive, isolated elliptical galaxy NGC 953, the most X-raybright and luminous of a sample of 11 isolated ellipticals whose existingChandra data indicate r_2500 fits entirely within the central MOS CCDs. Ourproposed 140ks exposure will constrain the global baryon to +/- 10% in a MW-size elliptical galaxy.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2015-07-24T04:37:09Z/2015-07-25T11:58:49Z
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, Prof David Buote, 2016, 'Finding Missing Baryons in a Massive Isolated Elliptical Galaxy', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-8q2djko
