No Arabic abstract
We present a detailed analysis of the XMM-Newton RGS high resolution X-ray spectra of the Seyfert 2 galaxy, Mrk573. This analysis is complemented by the study of the Chandra image, and its comparison to optical (HST) and radio (VLA) data. The soft X-ray emission is mainly due to gas photoionised by the central AGN, as indicated by the detection of radiative recombination continua from OVII and OVIII, as well as by the prominence of the OVII forbidden line. This result is confirmed by the best fit obtained with a self-consistent CLOUDY photoionisation model. However, a collisionally excited component is also required, in order to reproduce the FeXVII lines, accounting for about 1/3 of the total luminosity in the 15-26 A band. Once adopted the same model in the Chandra ACIS data, another photoionised component, with higher ionisation parameter, is needed to take into account emission from higher Z metals. The broadband ACIS spectrum also confirms the Compton-thick nature of the source. The imaging analysis shows the close morphological correspondence between the soft X-ray and the [OIII] emission. The radio emission appears much more compact, although clearly aligned with the narrow line region. The collisional phase of the soft X-ray emission may be due to starburst, requiring a star formation rate of $simeq5-9$ M$_odot$ yr$^{-1}$, but there is no clear evidence of this kind of activity from other wavelengths. On the other hand, it may be related to the radio ejecta, responsible for the heating of the plasma interacting with the outflow, but the estimated pressure of the hot gas is much larger than the pressure of the radio jets, assuming equipartition and under reasonable physical parameters.
The observation of the supernova remnant N132D by the scientific instruments on board the XMM-Newton satellite is presented. The X-rays from N132D are dispersed into a detailed line-rich spectrum using the Reflection Grating Spectrometers. Spectral lines of C, N, O, Ne, Mg, Si, S, and Fe are identified. Images of the remnant, in narrow wavelength bands, produced by the European Photon Imaging Cameras reveal a complex spatial structure of the ionic distribution. While K-shell Fe emission seems to originate near the centre, all of the other ions are observed along the shell. A high O VII / O VIII emission ratio is detected on the northeastern edge of the remnant. This can be a sign of hot ionising conditions, or it can reflect relatively cool gas. Spectral fitting of the CCD spectrum suggests high temperatures in this region, but a detailed analysis of the atomic processes involved in producing the O VII spectral lines leads to the conclusion that the intensities of these lines alone cannot provide a conclusive distinction between the two scenarios.
This paper describes the development of X-ray diffractive optics for imaging solar flares with better than 0.1 arcsec angular resolution. X-ray images with this resolution of the geq10 MK plasma in solar active regions and solar flares would allow the cross-sectional area of magnetic loops to be resolved and the coronal flare energy release region itself to be probed. The objective of this work is to obtain X-ray images in the iron-line complex at 6.7 keV observed during solar flares with an angular resolution as fine as 0.1 arcsec - over an order of magnitude finer than is now possible. This line emission is from highly ionized iron atoms, primarily Fe xxv, in the hottest flare plasma at temperatures in excess of approx10 MK. It provides information on the flare morphology, the iron abundance, and the distribution of the hot plasma. Studying how this plasma is heated to such high temperatures in such short times during solar flares is of critical importance in understanding these powerful transient events, one of the major objectives of solar physics. We describe the design, fabrication, and testing of phase zone plate X-ray lenses with focal lengths of approx100 m at these energies that would be capable of achieving these objectives. We show how such lenses could be included on a two-spacecraft formation-flying mission with the lenses on the spacecraft closest to the Sun and an X-ray imaging array on the second spacecraft in the focal plane approx100 m away. High resolution X-ray images could be obtained when the two spacecraft are aligned with the region of interest on the Sun. Requirements and constraints for the control of the two spacecraft are discussed together with the overall feasibility of such a formation-flying mission.
Since the launch of Chandra and XMM-Newton, high-resolution X-ray spectra of cosmic sources of all kinds have become available. These spectra have resulted in major scientific breakthroughs. However, due to the techniques used, in general high-quality spectra can only be obtained for the brightest few sources of each class. Moreover, except for the most compact extended sources, like cool core clusters, grating spectra are limited to point sources. Hitomi made another major step forward, in yielding for the first time a high-quality spectrum of an extended source, and improved spectral sensitivity in the Fe-K band. For point sources with the proposed Arcus mission, and for all sources with the launch of Athena, X-ray spectroscopy will become mature. It allows us to extend the investigations from the few handful of brightest sources of each category to a large number of sources far away in space and time, or to get high time-resolution, high-spectral resolution spectra of bright time variable sources.
Context : The peculiar hot star Theta Car in the open cluster IC2602 is a blue straggler as well as a single-line binary of short period (2.2d). Aims : Its high-energy properties are not well known, though X-rays can provide useful constraints on the energetic processes at work in binaries as well as in peculiar, single objects. Methods : We present the analysis of a 50ks exposure taken with the XMM-Newton observatory. It provides medium as well as high-resolution spectroscopy. Results : Our high-resolution spectroscopy analysis reveals a very soft spectrum with multiple temperature components (1--6MK) and an X-ray flux slightly below the `canonical value (log[L_X(0.1-10.)/L_{BOL}] ~ -7). The X-ray lines appear surprisingly narrow and unshifted, reminiscent of those of beta Cru and tau Sco. Their relative intensities confirm the anomalous abundances detected in the optical domain (C strongly depleted, N strongly enriched, O slightly depleted). In addition, the X-ray data favor a slight depletion in neon and iron, but they are less conclusive for the magnesium abundance (solar-like?). While no significant changes occur during the XMM-Newton observation, variability in the X-ray domain is detected on the long-term range. The formation radius of the X-ray emission is loosely constrained to <5 R_sol, which allows for a range of models (wind-shock, corona, magnetic confinement,...) though not all of them can be reconciled with the softness of the spectrum and the narrowness of the lines.
Active galactic nuclei are the most luminous persistent (non-transient, even if often variable) objects in the Universe. They are bright in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Blazars are a special class where the jets point nearly to our line of sight. Because of this special geometry and the bulk relativistic motion of the plasma in the jet, their radiation is enhanced by relativistic beaming. The majority of extragalactic objects detected in gamma-rays are blazars. However, finding their counterparts in other wavebands could be challenging. Here we present the results of our 5-GHz European VLBI Network (EVN) observation of the radio source J1331+2932, a candidate blazar found while searching for possible gamma-ray emission from the stellar binary system DG CVn (Loh et al. 2017). The highest-resolution radio interferometric measurements provide the ultimate tool to confirm the blazar nature of a radio source by imaging compact radio jet structure with Doppler-boosted radio emission, and give the most accurate celestial coordinates as well.