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Register a new userDeep XMM-Newton observations of the northern disc of M31. I. Source catalogue
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We carried out new observations of two fields in the northern ring of M31 with XMM-Newton with two exposures of 100 ks each and obtained a complete list of X-ray sources down to a sensitivity limit of ~7 x 10^34 erg s^-1 (0.5 - 2.0 keV). The major objective of the observing programme was the study of the hot phase of the ISM in M31. The analysis of the diffuse emission and the study of the ISM is presented in a separate paper. We analysed the spectral properties of all detected sources using hardness ratios and spectra if the statistics were high enough. We also checked for variability. We cross-correlated the source list with the source catalogue of a new survey of the northern disc of M31 carried out with Chandra and Hubble (Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury, PHAT) as well as with other existing catalogues. We detected a total of 389 sources, including 43 foreground stars and candidates and 50 background sources. Based on the comparison to the Chandra/PHAT survey, we classify 24 hard X-ray sources as new candidates for X-ray binaries (XRBs). In total, we identified 34 XRBs and candidates and 18 supernova remnants (SNRs) and candidates. Three of the four brightest SNRs show emission mainly below 2 keV, consistent with shocked ISM. The spectra of two of them also require an additional component with a higher temperature. The SNR [SPH11] 1535 has a harder spectrum and might suggest that there is a pulsar-wind nebula inside the SNR. We find five new sources showing clear time variability. We also studied the spectral properties of the transient source SWIFT J004420.1+413702, which shows significant variation in flux over a period of seven months (June 2015 to January 2016) and associated change in absorption. Based on the likely optical counterpart detected in the Chandra/PHAT survey, the source is classified as a low-mass X-ray binary.
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XMM-Newton has observed the X-ray sky since early 2000. The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre Consortium has published catalogues of X-ray and ultraviolet sources found serendipitously in the individual observations. This series is now augmented by a catalogue dedicated to X-ray sources detected in spatially overlapping XMM-Newton observations. The aim of this catalogue is to explore repeatedly observed sky regions. It thus makes use of the long(er) effective exposure time per sky area and offers the opportunity to investigate long-term flux variability directly through the source detection process. A new standardised strategy for simultaneous source detection on multiple observations is introduced. It is coded as a new task within the XMM-Newton Science Analysis System and used to compile a catalogue of sources from 434 stacks comprising 1,789 overlapping XMM-Newton observations that entered the 3XMM-DR7 catalogue, have a low background and full-frame readout of all EPIC cameras. The first stacked catalogue is called 3XMM-DR7s. It contains 71,951 unique sources with positions and parameters such as fluxes, hardness ratios, quality estimates, and information on inter-observation variability. About 15% of the sources are new with respect to 3XMM-DR7. Through stacked source detection, the parameters of repeatedly observed sources can be determined with higher accuracy than in the individual observations. The method is more sensitive to faint sources and tends to produce fewer spurious detections. With this first stacked catalogue we demonstrate the feasibility and benefit of the approach. It supplements the large data base of XMM-Newton detections by additional, in particular faint, sources and adds variability information. In the future, the catalogue will be expanded to larger samples and continued within the series of serendipitous XMM-Newton source catalogues.
Thanks to the large collecting area (3 x ~1500 cm$^2$ at 1.5 keV) and wide field of view (30 across in full field mode) of the X-ray cameras on board the European Space Agency X-ray observatory XMM-Newton, each individual pointing can result in the detection of hundreds of X-ray sources, most of which are newly discovered. Recently, many improvements in the XMM-Newton data reduction algorithms have been made. These include enhanced source characterisation and reduced spurious source detections, refined astrometric precision, greater net sensitivity and the extraction of spectra and time series for fainter sources, with better signal-to-noise. Further, almost 50% more observations are in the public domain compared to 2XMMi-DR3, allowing the XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre (XMM-SSC) to produce a much larger and better quality X-ray source catalogue. The XMM-SSC has developed a pipeline to reduce the XMM-Newton data automatically and using improved calibration a new catalogue version has been produced from XMM-Newton data made public by 2013 Dec. 31 (13 years of data). Manual screening ensures the highest data quality. This catalogue is known as 3XMM. In the latest release, 3XMM-DR5, there are 565962 X-ray detections comprising 396910 unique X-ray sources. For the 133000 brightest sources, spectra and lightcurves are provided. For all detections, the positions on the sky, a measure of the quality of the detection, and an evaluation of the X-ray variability is provided, along with the fluxes and count rates in 7 X-ray energy bands, the total 0.2-12 keV band counts, and four hardness ratios. To identify the detections, a cross correlation with 228 catalogues is also provided for each X-ray detection. 3XMM-DR5 is the largest X-ray source catalogue ever produced. Thanks to the large array of data products, it is an excellent resource in which to find new and extreme objects.
Sky surveys produce enormous quantities of data on extensive regions of the sky. The easiest way to access this information is through catalogues of standardised data products. {em XMM-Newton} has been surveying the sky in the X-ray, ultra-violet, and optical bands for 20 years. The {em XMM-Newton} Survey Science Centre has been producing standardised data products and catalogues to facilitate access to the serendipitous X-ray sky. Using improved calibration and enhanced software, we re-reduced all of the 14041 {em XMM-Newton} X-ray observations, of which 11204 observations contained data with at least one detection and with these we created a new, high quality version of the {em XMM-Newton} serendipitous source catalogue, 4XMM-DR9. 4XMM-DR9 contains 810795 detections down to a detection significance of 3 $sigma$, of which 550124 are unique sources, which cover 1152 degrees$^{2}$ (2.85%) of the sky. Filtering 4XMM-DR9 to retain only the cleanest sources with at least a 5 $sigma$ detection significance leaves 433612 detections. Of these detections, 99.6% have no pileup. Furthermore, 336 columns of information on each detection are provided, along with images. The quality of the source detection is shown to have improved significantly with respect to previo
The XMM-Newton Survey Science Centre Consortium (SSC) develops software in close collaboration with the Science Operations Centre to perform a pipeline analysis of all XMM-Newton observations. In celebration of the 20th launch anniversary, the SSC has compiled the 4th generation of serendipitous source catalogues, 4XMM. The catalogue described here, 4XMM-DR9s, explores sky areas that were observed more than once by XMM-Newton. It was constructed from simultaneous source detection on the overlapping observations, which were bundled in groups (stacks). Stacking leads to a higher sensitivity, resulting in newly discovered sources and better constrained source parameters, and unveils long-term brightness variations. As a novel feature, positional rectification was applied beforehand. Observations with all filters and suitable camera settings were included. Exposures with a high background were discarded, which was determined through a statistical analysis of all exposures in each instrument configuration. The X-ray background maps used in source detection were modelled via adaptive smoothing with newly determined parameters. Source fluxes were derived for all contributing observations, irrespective of whether the source would be detectable in an individual observation. From 1,329 stacks with 6,604 contributing observations over repeatedly covered 300 square degrees in the sky, 4XMM-DR9s lists 288,191 sources. 218,283 of them were observed several times. Most stacks are composed of two observations, the largest one comprises 352. The number of observations of a source ranges from 1 to 40. Auxiliary products like X-ray images, long-term light curves, and optical finding charts are published as well. 4XMM-DR9s is considered a prime resource to explore long-term variability of X-ray sources discovered by XMM-Newton. Regular incremental releases including new public observations are planned.
We describe the production, properties and scientific potential of the XMM-Newton catalogue of serendipitous X-ray sources. The first version of this catalogue is nearing completion and is planned to be released before the end of 2002.
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