Magnetars are highly magnetized neutron stars that are powered by the decay oftheir immense magnetic fields and periodically display violent outbursts. Onlyfour of the 23 confirmed magnetars have displayed radio emission and its originand connection to the X-ray emission is not well understood. Following anoutburst prior to its discovery in 2009, the X-ray and radio fluxes andspin-down torque of the radio-emitting magnetar PSR J1622-4950 decayed. Ourmonitoring with the Parkes radio telescope has revealed that the torque decreasehas settled and the radio emission has ceased. We thus believe that PSRJ1622-4950 has arrived in quiescence. We propose to observe the magnetar usingXMM in order to characterize its quiescent X-ray state.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2017-03-19T06:04:26Z/2017-03-20T16:52:46Z
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, Mr Paul Scholz, 2018, 'What is the quiescent X-ray state of the radio magnetar PSR J1622-4950', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-0klvwly
