We propose an X-ray survey of six nearby polluted white dwarfs to detecthigh-rate accretion states indicated by both optical data and recent theoreticalmodels of collisional cascades within their debris disks. The models predictthat the collisionally generated gas will be subject to high and low states ofaccretion, where the fraction of time spent in the high and detectable statesconstrains the size of bodies initiating the cascade. The proposed observationswill directly test these models, and thus provide valuable information on thenature of the (as yet unseen) parent bodies themselves. Only with X-rayobservations can we directly detect ongoing accretion, and provide an invaluableand independent determination of mass accretion rates.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2021-06-25T02:58:36Z/2022-01-23T09:19:05Z
Version
19.17_20220121_1250
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, Prof Jay Farihi, 2023, 'Expanding the Search for Accretion Luminosity in Disk-Polluted White Dwarfs', 19.17_20220121_1250, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-0t9slb0
