NGC 5907 ULX-1 is the most luminous of the 3 ULXs known to be accreting pulsars.At 17.1 Mpc, its X-ray isotropic luminosity peaks at 1e41 erg/s, 500 times theEddington limit for a NS. Understanding the physics of this extreme object, fora long time prototypical of IMBHs, which defeats simple theoreticalexplanations, is interesting per se and essential for population studies andsearches for pulsation in other ULXs. The most effective strategy is torepeatedly observe it with XMM and NuSTAR with a carefully devised schedule.Their synergy will provide us also with orbital- and spin-phase-resolvedbroad-band X-ray spectroscopy, essential for a better understanding of thisobject, in the context of other extreme ULXs.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2017-07-02T18:46:51Z/2019-07-07T05:42:42Z
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 andrea belfiore, 2020, 'The orbit and spectra of the brightest accreting pulsar: NGC 5907 ULX-1', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-cayp03d
