The Galactic X-ray source AX J1818.8-1559 has been proposed as a new magnetarcandidate since a short and soft burst was detected in the 15-100 keV range fromthis source in 2007 with INTEGRAL. However, a fundamental piece of evidence,i.e. the detection of slowing down pulsations is still missing, due to the lackof adequate observations. We request an XMM-Newton pointing of 60 ks in order toperform a sensitive search for periodicity. This, together with the good qualityspectrum that can be collected with EPIC, will allow us to reveal the nature ofAX J1818.8-1559, most likely adding a new member to the small family of magnetarcandidates.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2018-04-08T20:41:52Z/2018-04-09T14:31:31Z
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 SANDRO MEREGHETTI, 2019, 'The magnetar candidate AX J1818.8-1559', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-1qmzh9z
