We propose to boost the current sample of flares observed with XMM-Newton fromthe Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients. Our recent milestone study of allobservations available so far proved that a statistical analysis of these eventcan be exploited to demonstrate that these events are triggered by clumps in thesupergiant wind and to probe the clumpy wind properties. However, the currentnumber of flares is still small and more observations are needed. These flaresoccur randomly at any time with a recurrence time of few ks (2-5 flares expectedevery 20 ks observation, on average). The unique abilities of XMM needed forthis study are the large effective area at soft X-rays and the possibility ofhaving a
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2019-09-27T07:52:11Z/2020-04-04T02:27:02Z
Version
18.02_20200221_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 Enrico Bozzo, 2021, 'Probing clump accretion onto neutron stars with XMM-Newton', 18.02_20200221_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-2oad0ot
