We are currently in an exciting era where large populations of 1e4-1e6 Msunintermediate black holes are being recovered in the nuclei of low-mass galaxies,which are informing our understanding on the growth of supermassive black holes. However, we still lack observational constraints on possible nuclear blackholes in the virgul1000 Msun range, save for a handful of candidates. We identifieda 3000-4000 Msun intermediate mass black hole candidate from a Chandraobservation of a late-type spiral galaxy, on account of a soft and luminous(near-Eddington) X-ray spectrum. Here, we propose an EPIC XMM-Newton spectrum(with nearly 20 times more counts) to confirm/refute our current intermediatemass black hole interpretation.
Instrument
EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2
Temporal Coverage
2022-11-22T23:14:31Z/2022-11-23T20:14:31Z
Version
20.09_20221024_1724
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 Richard Plotkin, 2024, 'Confirmation of a Thousand Solar Mass Black Hole in a Low-Mass Galaxy', 20.09_20221024_1724, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.57780/esa-2cgzzru
