In the low-redshift universe, a fraction of the baryons remains unaccounted foron the largest scales and on the galaxy scales, which define the global andlocal missing baryon problems. A promising approach to resolve these problems isto probe X-ray absorption lines imprinted on the spectrum of background quasars.By utilizing our novel stacking method, we detected an OVII absorption line inthe spectrum of PKS0405-123. We propose deep XMM-Newton observations that willboost the stacked exposure time to 10.4 Ms, allowing us to probe the absorptionlines to unprecedented depths. We will demonstrate the robust nature of thedetection, increase its significance to >5sigma, and build an accurate gasdensity profile, thereby addressing the global and the local missing baryon problems.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2021-09-01T12:05:47Z/2022-03-07T13:47:43Z
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, Dr Akos Bogdan, 2023, 'Stacking the X-ray Line Forest: Detecting the Missing Baryons', 19.17_20220121_1250, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-td2cyuj
