| Name | 069060 |
| Title | A new heavyweight champion for stellar mass BHs? XMM and Chandra investigate |
| URL | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0690600401 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-4dmhau2 |
| Author | Dr Robin Barnard |
| Description | The X-ray source associated with the M31 globular cluster Bovirgul135 (hereafter XBo 135) may contain the largest stellar mass black hole (BH) to date. It has been observed several times with Chandra and XMM-Newton, and has always exhibited emission spectra characteristic of the BH low state. XBo 135 exhibited this behaviour at virgul4-6E+38 erg/s, suggesting a primary mass >50 Solar masses. Possible formation scenarios include stellar mergers in the cluster center, or the direct collapse of a metal poor high mass star. We request 120 ks of XMM-Newton time to investigate the metalicity, and a 5 ks Chandra pointing to accurately locate the source. These observations will test the feasibility of these scenarios; in particular, a high metalicity will rule out direct collapse. |
| Publication | No observations found associated with the current proposal |
| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2012-06-26T05:23:25Z/2012-06-27T15:22:40Z |
| Version | 17.56_20190403_1200 |
| Mission Description | The European Space Agency's (ESA) X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton) was launched by an Ariane 504 on December 10th 1999. XMM-Newton is ESA's 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 Earth's 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. |
| Creator Contact | https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/xmm-newton/xmm-newton-helpdesk |
| Date Published | 2013-07-19T00:00:00Z |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, Dr Robin Barnard, 2013, 069060, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-4dmhau2 |