| Name | 074401 |
| Title | THE ORIGIN OF OPTICAL VARIABILITY IN AGN: XMM AND GROUND OBSERVATIONS OF NGC4395 |
| URL | https://nxsa.esac.esa.int/nxsa-sl/servlet/data-action-aio?obsno=0744010101 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-2ilgu1y |
| Author | European Space Agency |
| Description | The underlying driver behind the optical variability of AGN, and its link to the X-ray variability, is currently in dispute. Are the optical variations dominated by reprocessing of X-ray photons (ie the optical lags), or by inwardly propagating accretion rate fluctuations which alter the intrinsic thermal emission from the disc (ie the optical leads)? Current observations favour optical lags there are no unambiguous examples. In NGC4395, a well known highly variable X-ray AGN, we have previously found a tentative 400s UV lag, a timescale well suited to observations with XMM. Here, with a combination of XMM and ground-based observations we aim to measure the lag accurately and hence show whether optical variability in AGN is driven by disc variations or by X-ray reprocessing. |
| Publication | No observations found associated with the current proposal |
| Instrument | EMOS1, EMOS2, EPN, OM, RGS1, RGS2 |
| Temporal Coverage | 2014-12-28T10:07:16Z/2014-12-31T00:41:44Z |
| 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 | 2016-01-19T23:00:00Z |
| Publisher And Registrant | European Space Agency |
| Credit Guidelines | European Space Agency, 2016, The Origin Of Optical Variability In Agn: Xmm And Ground Observations Of Ngc4395, 17.56_20190403_1200, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-2ilgu1y |