Following a series of remarkable recent discoveries, we now know that some ofthe most luminous members of the ULX-ray source population are actually poweredby highly super-Eddington neutron stars. Five such systems are now known, butbased on the long-term variability characteristics exhibited by these sources,we have compiled a sample of 19 additional ULX pulsar candidates from thebroader ULX population. Here we propose a co-ordinated target of opportunityobservation with XMM (100ks) and NuSTAR (100ks) of one of the most promising ofthese candidates, NGC7090 ULX, when the source is bright. Our main aims are tosearch for pulsations in order to test our prediction that this is another ULXpulsar, and constrain the broadband spectrum.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2020-04-29T05:43:16Z/2020-04-30T12:03:16Z
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 Dominc Walton, 2021, 'THE HUNT FOR NEW PULSAR ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCES: NGC7090 ULX', 18.02_20200221_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-inf5ik1
