PSR B0950+08 is a 17 Myr old bright radio pulsar at d=260 pc. X-ray observationsof this pulsar provide a rare opportunity to test models of polar cap heating byprecipitating magnetospheric particles, while the UV-optical observations cantest models of internal heating in neutron stars, which are determined byfundamental properties of matter. The only previous XMM-Newton observation wasnot deep enough to reliably separate the polar cap and magnetosphericcomponents, while optical observations with ground-based telescopes lacked theneeded angular resolution. The proposed deep XMM-Newton observations,supplemented by an HST observation, will be the most detailed multiwavelengthstudy of an old radio pulsar to date.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2020-05-16T19:46:40Z/2021-06-07T02:42:30Z
Version
PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE
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 George Pavlov, 2022, 'External and internal heating in the old pulsar PSR B0950+08', PPS_NOT_AVAILABLE, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-kmsk4nr
