Be/X-ray pulsars in quiescence emit X-rays that may include thermal emissionfrom the hot NS surface, nonthermal emission from continued accretion, or X-raysfrom the hot winds of their optical companions. RX J0812.4 3114 is a Be X-raypulsar observed in quiescence by Chandra for 4.6 ks, with only a few photons. Abest-fit thermal NS atmosphere model to the Chandra data revealed an unusuallylow temperature and much larger inferred emission region radius compared toother quiescent systems of the same kind; however, the very low countingstatistics make it hard to robustly characterize the spectrum. We, therefore,propose an XMM observation to discriminate between a NS atmosphere model vs. athermal plasma model, search for pulsations, and unveil the nature of the X-ray emission.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2018-10-09T06:53:56Z/2018-10-10T03:00:36Z
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 Yue Zhao, 2019, 'RX J0812.4 3114\: The Coolest Be X-ray Pulsar in Quiescence', 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-4sct426
