V2731 Oph is an intermediate polar with a complex X-ray spectrum including a hot(kTvirgul100 eV) blackbody component, according to a previous short XMM-Newtonobservation, indicative of a locally super-Eddington accretion rate. However, itis possible that the temperature measurement was incorrect because V2731 Oph isoverabundant in nitrogen, which went unnoticed in the previous analysis due tothe lack of high S/N RGS spectrum. If overabundance is confirmed, it can bothsolve the hot blackbody puzzle and have important implications on the pastevolutionary history of V2731 Oph. We therefore propose a much longer XMM-Newtonobservation to obtain high quality RGS data. We also request a simultaneousNuSTAR observation to break potential degeneracies among soft and hard component parameters.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2020-09-05T12:17:22Z/2020-09-06T06:25:12Z
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 Koji Mukai, 2021, 'Nitrogen Abundance and the Hot Blackbody Puzzle of Intermediate Polars', 18.02_20200221_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-tdrgf9n
