Super-Eddington accretion periods are expected to be extremely important toexplain the fast growth of the first supermassive black holes. We propose here asystematic broad-band X-ray study of super-Eddington AGN ( Edd = 15 to Edd =427) at z < 0.1 by simultaneously observing five of them with XMM-Newton andNuSTAR. We use the best sample available, SEAMBHs, which contain objects withblack hole masses estimated from reverberation mapping, making the Eddingtonratio estimates extremely reliable. The broad-band observations will allow toshed light on a large number of fundamental issues, such as the behaviour of thecutoff energy, of the reprocessed radiation, of the iron complex and of the softexcess at extreme Eddington ratios.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2019-10-30T09:07:06Z/2019-11-24T00:43:58Z
Version
18.00_20191217_1110
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, Prof Claudio Ricci, 2020, 'The first systematic study of extreme accretion with XMM-Newton and NuSTAR', 18.00_20191217_1110, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-ucoi9jv
