The XMM discovery of a ms pulsar swinging between an accretion-powered (X- ray)and a rotation-powered (radio) pulsar state demonstrated that transitionsbetween the two states can be observed over timescales of a few weeks. Wepropose an XMM/NuStar ToO observation of 60 ks aimed at studying the accretionstate of transitional ms pulsars, detecting X-ray accretion powered pulsations,and characterizing its variability over three decades in energy. Candidates arerestricted to black widows and redbacks, systems in an evolutionary phase thatallows state transitions. Enlarging the number of systems in this transitionalphase is crucial to test binary evolution theories, and to study the disk-fieldinteraction over a large range of mass accretion rates.
Instrument
EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2023-03-04T11:04:37Z/2023-03-05T06:49:34Z
Version
20.10_20230417_1156
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 Alessandro Papitto, 2024, 'Hunting for transitional millisecond pulsars with XMM-Newton and NuStar', 20.10_20230417_1156, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-[xxxxxxx]
