Discovery of isolated black holes resembles finding a Holly Grail. InWyrzykowski et al. (2015) we have selected 15 candidates for dark remnants basedon microlensing effect observations, however, the lens mass estimates span alarge range in mass, affecting the interpretation on their nature. Here wepropose XMM observations of 5 of the best candidates for isolated black holes todetect theoretically predicted Bondi-Hoyle accretion. Additional AO observationsobtained with VLT/NACO will complement the interpretation of the X-ray data andwill allow to confirm/reject the candidates for isolated black holes and neutronstars and to further constrain their masses.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2016-08-29T01:47:02Z/2016-09-15T12:34:53Z
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 Lukasz Wyrzykowski, 2017, 'Confirmation of isolated black holes and neutron stars detected via microlensing', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-leuowb8
