本研究通过 XMM-Newton 和 Chandra 巡天数据及 VLT 红外光谱，发现 4XMM~J182531.5--144036 是一个具有 781 秒脉冲周期和持久 X 射线发射的 Be/X 射线双星脉冲星，可能处于类似 X Per 的长周期低偏心率轨道。
摘要：
我们旨在研究在 XMM-Newton 巡天中探测到的时变 X 射线源的性质。我们搜索了 XMM-Newton 巡天中天体的 X 射线光变曲线以寻找变化，并研究了 Chandra 观测到的重合偶然源。随后，利用 VLT 上的 ISAAC 对使用 UKIDSS 确认的 X 射线对应体进行了红外光谱观测。我们发现，2008 年 4 月在 XMM-Newton 巡天中探测到的天体 4XMM~J182531.5--144036，也曾于 2004 年 7 月被 Chandra 探测为 CXOU~J182531.4--144036。两次观测均揭示了一个硬 X 射线源，其表现出周期为 781~s 的相干 X 射线脉冲。该源的位置与一个 $K=14$ 星等的红外天体重合，该天体的光谱表现出强烈的 HeI 和 Br$γ$ 发射线，且其红外超高于早型 B 型矮星或巨星。我们得出结论，4XMM~J182531.5--144036 是一个表现出持久性 X 射线发射的 Be/X 射线双星脉冲星，可能处于类似 X Per 的长周期、低偏心率轨道中。
英文摘要：
We aim to investigate the nature of time-variable X-ray sources detected in the {\it XMM-Newton} serendipitous survey. The X-ray light curves of objects in the {\it XMM-Newton} serendipitous survey were searched for variability and coincident serendipitous sources observed by {\it Chandra} were also investigated. Subsequent infrared spectroscopy of the counterparts to the X-ray objects that were identified using UKIDSS was carried out using {\it ISAAC} on the VLT. We found that the object 4XMM~J182531.5--144036 detected in the {\it XMM-Newton} serendipitous survey in April 2008 was also detected by {\it Chandra} as CXOU~J182531.4--144036 in July 2004. Both observations reveal a hard X-ray source displaying a coherent X-ray pulsation at a period of 781~s. The source position is coincident with a $K=14$ mag infrared object whose spectrum exhibits strong HeI and Br$γ$ emission lines and an infrared excess above that of early B-type dwarf or giant stars. We conclude that 4XMM~J182531.5--144036 is a Be/X-ray binary pulsar exhibiting persistent X-ray emission and is likely in a long period, low eccentricity orbit, similar to X Per.
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 pro…
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 w…
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 serie…
We search for transient sources in a sample of ULXs from the 3XMM-DR4 release of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue in order to find candidate neutron star ULXs alternating between an accreting state and the propeller regime, in which the luminosity drops dramatically. By examining their fluxes and flux upper limits, we identify five ULXs that demonstrate long-term variability of over an order of magnitude. Using Chandra and Swift data to further characterise their light curves, we find that two of these sources are detected only once and could be X-ray binaries in outburst that onl…
The radio-quiet neutron star 1E1207.4-5209 has been the target of several XMM-Newton observations, with a total exposure of ~350 ks. The source is located at intermediate galactic latitude (b~10 degrees), i.e. in a sky region with an extremely interesting mix of both galactic and extra-galactic X-ray sources. The aim of our work is to investigate the properties of both the intermediate-latitude galactic and extra-galactic X-ray source populations in the 1E1207.4-5209 field. We performed a coherent analysis of the whole XMM-Newton observation data set to build a catalogue of serendipitous X-ray…
The variability of the X-ray spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGN) usually includes a change of the spectral slope. This has been investigated for a small sample of local AGNs by Sobolewska and Papadakis, who found that slope variations are well correlated with flux variations, and that spectra are typically steeper in the bright phase (softer when brighter behaviour). Not much information is available for the spectral variability of high-luminosity AGNs and quasars. In order to investigate this phenomenon, we use data from the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue, Data Release 5, which…
A new serendipitous XMM survey in the area of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey is described (XMM/SDSS), which includes features such as the merging of overlapping fields to increase the sensitivity to faint sources, the use of a new parametrisation of the XMM point spread function for the source detection and photometry, the accurate estimation of the survey sensitivity. About 40,000 X-ray point sources are detected over a total area of 122deg2. A subsample of 209 sources detected in the 2-8keV spectral band with SDSS spectroscopic redshifts in the range 0.03<z<0.2, optical magnitudes r<17.77mag a…
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, r…
We study the link between the X-ray emission in radio-quiet AGNs and the accretion rate on the central Supermassive Black Hole using a statistically well-defined and representative sample of 71 type 1 AGNs extracted from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey. We search and quantify the statistical correlations between some fundamental parameters that characterize the X-ray emission, i.e. the X-ray spectral slope, and the X-ray "loudness", and the accretion rate, both absolute and normalized to the Eddington luminosity (Eddington ratio). We parametrize the X-ray loudness using three differ…
Context. X-ray spectral variability analyses of active galactic nuclei (AGN) with moderate luminosities and redshifts typically show a softer when brighter behaviour. Such a trend has rarely been investigated for high-luminosity AGNs ($ L_{bol}\gtrsim 10^{44}$ erg/s), nor for a wider redshift range (e.g. $0\lesssim z\lesssim 5$). Aims. We present an analysis of spectral variability based on a large sample of 2,700 quasars, measured at several different epochs, extracted from the fifth release of the XMM-Newton Serendipitous Source Catalogue. Methods. We quantified the spectral variability thro…
XMM-Newton's large field of view and excellent sensitivity have resulted in hundreds of thousands of serendipitous X-ray detections. Whilst their spectra have been widely exploited, their variable nature has been little studied. Part of this is due to the way XMM-Newton currently operates, where observations generally have a 12 month proprietary period. It is often too late to follow-up a serendipitous transient a year after detection. New robust software could be introduced into the pipeline to automatically identify bright transients that are not the target of the observation. Statistically,…
XY Ari is one of the few known eclipsing intermediate polars. We present results from a detailed analysis of an unpublished archival observation using XMM-Newton EPIC pn and MOS data in a quiescent state of XY Ari. The X-ray orbital modulation and spin pulse variations were investigated for energy dependent modulations in different energy bands. The broad orbital modulation observed with various observations was confirmed with XMM-Newton at hard X-ray (>1.6 keV). The EPIC light curves folded at the spin phases show a double peak profile as expected from two pole accretion. The pulse profile is…
We analyze 18 sources that were found to show interesting properties of periodicity, very soft spectra and/or large long-term variability in X-rays in our project of classification of sources from the 2XMMi-DR3 catalog but were poorly studied in the literature, in order to investigate their nature. Two hard sources show X-ray periodicities of ~1.62 hr (2XMM J165334.4-414423) and ~2.1 hr (2XMM J133135.2-315541) and are probably magnetic cataclysmic variables. The source 2XMM J123103.2+110648 is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) candidate showing very soft X-ray spectra (kT~0.1 keV) and exhibitin…
We have investigated the X-ray spectral properties of a sample of 138 X-ray sources detected serendipitously in $XMM-Newton$ observations of the Galactic plane, at an intermediate to faint flux level. We divide our sample into 5 subgroups according to the spectral hardness of the sources, and stack (i.e. co-add) the individual source spectra within each subgroup. As expected these stacked spectra show a softening trend from the hardest to the softest subgroups, which is reflected in the inferred line-of-sight column density. The spectra of the three hardest subgroups are characterized by a har…
We carry out classification of 4330 X-ray sources in the 2XMMi-DR3 catalog. They are selected under the requirement of being a point source with multiple XMM-Newton observations and at least one detection with the signal-to-noise ratio larger than 20. For about one third of them we are able to obtain reliable source types from the literature. They mostly correspond to various types of stars (611), active galactic nuclei (AGN, 753) and compact object systems (138) containing white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar-mass black holes. We find that about 99% of stars can be separated from other so…
The majority of active galactic nuclei (AGN) are obscured by large amounts of absorbing material that makes them invisible at many wavelengths. X-rays, given their penetrating power, provide the most secure way for finding these AGN. The XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalog is the largest catalog of X-ray sources ever produced; it contains about half a million detections. These sources are mostly AGN. We have derived X-ray spectral fits for very many 3XMM-DR4 sources ($\gtrsim$ 114 000 observations, corresponding to $\sim$ 77 000 unique sources), which contain more than 50 source photons pe…
The X-ray luminosity function of distant (3<z<5.1) unabsorbed quasars has been measured. A sample of distant high-luminosity quasars ($10^{45} \leq L_{{\rm X},2-10} < 7.5 \times 10^{45}$ erg/s in the 2--10 keV energy band) from the catalog given in Khorunzhev et al. (2016) compiled from the data of the 3XMM-DR4 catalog of the XMM-Newton serendipitous survey and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has been used. This sample consists of 101 sources. Most of them (90) have spectroscopic redshifts $z_{spec}\geqslant 3$. The remaining ones are quasar candidates with photometric redshift estimates $…
The XMM-Newton spectral-fit database is an ongoing ESA funded project aimed to construct a catalogue of spectral-fitting results for all the sources within the XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue for which spectral data products have been pipeline-extracted (~ 120,000 X-ray source detections). The fundamental goal of this project is to provide the astronomical community with a tool to construct large and representative samples of X-ray sources by allowing source selection according to spectral properties.
We have analysed an archival XMM-Newton EPIC observation that serendipitously covered the sky position of a variable X-ray source AX J1714.1-3912, previously suggested to be a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT). During the XMM-Newton observation the source is variable on a timescale of hundred seconds and shows two luminosity states, with a flaring activity followed by unflared emission, with a variability amplitude of a factor of about 50. We have discovered an intense iron emission line with a centroid energy of 6.4 keV in the power law-like spectrum, modified by a large absorption (NH a…
The spectra of several X-ray binary pulsars display a clear soft excess, which in most cases can be described with a blackbody model, above the main power-law component. While in the high-luminosity sources it is usually characterized by low temperature (kT < 0.5 keV) and large emission radius (R > 100 km), in the two persistent and low-luminosity pulsars 4U 0352+309 and RX J0146.9+6121 this component has a high temperature (kT > 1 keV) and a smaller radius (R < 0.5 km), consistent with the estimated size of the neutron-star polar cap. Here we report on the timing and spectral analysis of RX J…
The XMM-Newton spectral-fit database (XMMFITCAT) is a catalogue of spectral fitting results for the source detections within the XMM-Newton Serendipitous source catalogue with more than 50 net (background-subtracted) counts per detector in the 0.5-10 keV energy band. Its most recent version, constructed from the latest version of the XMM-Newton catalogue, the 3XMM Data Release 4 (3XMM-DR4), contains spectral-fitting results for $\gtrsim$ 114,000 detections, corresponding to $\simeq$ 78,000 unique sources. Three energy bands are defined and used in the construction of XMMFITCAT: Soft (0.5-2 keV…
We performed a systematic search for stellar tidal disruption events (TDE) by looking for X-ray sources that were detected during the ROSAT All Sky Survey and faded by more than an order of magnitude over the next two decades according to XMM-Newton serendipitous observations. Besides a number of highly variable persistent X-ray sources (like active galactic nuclei and cataclysmic variables), we found three sources that are broadly consistent with the TDE scenario: 1RXS J114727.1+494302, 1RXS J130547.2+641252, and 1RXS J235424.5-102053. A TDE association is also acceptable for the fourth sourc…
We report the results of follow-up investigations of a possible new thermally emitting isolated neutron star (INS), 4XMM J022141.5-735632, using observations from XMM-Newton and Spectrum Roentgen Gamma (SRG) eROSITA. The analysis is complemented by Legacy Survey imaging in the optical and near-infrared wavelengths. The X-ray source, the first to be targeted by XMM-Newton in an effort to identify new INS candidates from the fourth generation of the XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue Data Release 9 (4XMM-DR9), shows a remarkably soft energy distribution and a lack of catalogued counterpar…
We present detailed spectral and temporal characteristics of the persistent X-ray emission of SGR J1935+2154 based on our XMM-Newton and Chandra observations taken in the aftermath of its April 2020 burst storm, during which hundreds of energetic X-ray bursts were emitted, including one associated with an extraordinary fast radio burst. We clearly detect the pulsed X-ray emission in the XMM-Newton data. An average spin-down rate of 1.6$\times$10$^{-11}$ s s$^{-1}$ is obtained using our spin period measurement combined with three earlier values reported from the same active episode. Our investi…
Many X-ray accreting pulsars have a soft excess below 10 keV. This feature has been detected also in faint sources and at low luminosity levels, suggesting that it is an ubiquitous phenomenon. In the case of the high luminosity pulsars (Lx > 10^36 erg/s), the fit of this component with thermal emission models usually provides low temperatures (kT < 0.5 keV) and large emission regions (R > a few hundred km); for this reason, it is referred to as a `soft' excess. On the other hand, we recently found that in persistent, low-luminosity (Lx ~ 10^34 erg/s) and long-period (P > 100 s) Be accreting pu…
We report on a detailed study of the spectral and temporal properties of the neutron star low mass X-ray binary SLX 1737-282, which is located only ~1degr away from Sgr A. The system is expected to have a short orbital period, even within the ultra-compact regime, given its persistent nature at low X-ray luminosities and the long duration thermonuclear burst that it has displayed. We have analysed a Suzaku (18 ks) observation and an XMM-Newton (39 ks) observation taken 7 years apart. We infer (0.5-10 keV) X-ray luminosities in the range 3-6 x10^35erg s-1, in agreement with previous findings. T…
The Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) provides an improvement in sensitivity at energies above 10 keV by two orders of magnitude over non-focusing satellites, making it possible to probe deeper into the Galaxy and Universe. Lansbury and collaborators recently completed a catalog of 497 sources serendipitously detected in the 3-24 keV band using 13 deg2 of NuSTAR coverage. Here, we report on an optical and X-ray study of 16 Galactic sources in the catalog. We identify eight of them as stars (but some or all could have binary companions), and use information from Gaia to report dist…
Aims: The VY Scl system (anti-dwarf nova) V751 Cyg is examined following a claim of a super-soft spectrum in the optical low state. Methods: A serendipitous XMM-Newton X-ray observation and, 21 months later, Swift X-ray and UV observations, have provided the best such data on this source so far. These optical high-state datasets are used to study the flux and spectral variability of V751 Cyg. Results: Both the XMM-Newton and Swift data show evidence for modulation of the X-rays for the first time at the known 3.467 hr orbital period of V751 Cyg. In two Swift observations, taken ten days apart,…
We examine four high resolution reflection grating spectrometers (RGS) spectra of the February 2009 outburst of the luminous recurrent nova LMC 2009a. They were very complex and rich in intricate absorption and emission features. The continuum was consistent with a dominant component originating in the atmosphere of a shell burning white dwarf (WD) with peak effective temperature between 810,000 K and a million K, and mass in the 1.2-1.4 M$_\odot$ range. A moderate blue shift of the absorption features of a few hundred km s$^{-1}$ can be explained with a residual nova wind depleting the WD sur…
(abridged) We analyzed the archived XMM-Newton observation of the poorly studied low-mass X-ray binary XTE J1710-281 performed in 2004 that covered one orbital period of the system (3.8 hr). The source shows dips as well as eclipses, hence it is viewed close to edge-on. We modeled the spectral changes between persistent and dips in the framework of the partial covering model and the ionized absorber approach. The persistent spectrum can be fit by a power law with a photon index of 1.94(+-0.02) affected by absorption from cool material with a hydrogen column density of 0.401(+-0.007)*10^22 cm^-…
XMMU J134736.6+173403 is an X-ray source discovered serendipitously by XMM-Newton which was found to be spatially coincident with a pair of galaxies, including a Seyfert 2 galaxy, but presented in 2003 a very sharp persistent flux drop of a factor 6.5 within 1h. From the analysis of a set of 29 Swift observations conducted from the 6 February to the 23 May 2008, we discovered twin-peak quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) with periods of 23.82+-0.07 h and 71.44+-0.57 h. Using a Chandra observation of 2008, we evaluate more accurately the position of the X-ray source and show that the new source …
During a search for X-ray transients in the XMM-Newton archive within the EXTraS project, we discovered a new X-ray source that is detected only during a ~5 min interval of a ~21 h-long observation performed on 2011 June 21 (EXMM 023135.0-603743, probability of a random Poissonian fluctuation: ~$1.4\times10^{-27}$). With dedicated follow-up observations, we found that its position is consistent with a star-forming galaxy (SFR = 1-2 $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$) at redshift $z=0.092\pm0.003$ ($d=435\pm15$ Mpc). At this redshift, the energy released during the transient event was $2.8\times10^{46}$ erg i…
The unidentified TeV source HESS J1702-420 has recently been proposed as a new hadronic PeVatron candidate, based on the discovery of a small-scale emission sub-region with extremely hard gamma-ray spectrum up to 100 TeV (named HESS J1702-420A). Given the difficulty to discriminate between a hadronic or leptonic origin of the TeV emission, based on the H.E.S.S. measurement alone, we opted for a multi-wavelength approach. A deep X-ray observation was carried out using the XMM-Newton satellite, with the goal of probing a possible association with a hidden leptonic accelerator. No evidence of a c…
In a multi-orbit (100 ks) $\mathrm{\it XMM-Newton}$ exposure of the original black widow pulsar, PSR J1959+2048, we measure the strong orbital modulation caused by intrabinary shock (IBS) emission. The IBS light curve peak appears asymmetric, which we attribute to sweep-back effects in the companion wind. We also see evidence for an X-ray eclipse by the companion and its wind. Together with the IBS fit, this supports an edge-on $i\sim 90^\circ$ view of the system and a modest $\sim 1.8M_\odot$ mass for the recycled pulsar. Our IBS fit parameters imply a wind flux that, if persistent, would eva…
XMM J004243.6+412519 is a transient X-ray source in M31, first discovered 2012 January 15. Different approaches to fitting the brightest follow-up observation gave luminosities 1.3--2.5E+39 erg/s, making it the second ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) in M31, with a probable black hole accretor. These different models represent different scenarios for the corona: optically thick and compact, or optically thin and extended. We obtained Chandra ACIS and {\em HST} ACS observations of this object as part of our transient monitoring program, and also observed it serendipitously in a 120 ks XMM-Newto…
A Serendipitous NuSTAR Detection of a Giant Radio Source Harboring an Obscured Active Galactic Nucleus
Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA)（大学间天文学与天体物理中心）；Università di Bologna（博洛尼亚大学）；Clemson University（克莱姆森大学）；INAF, Osservatorio di Astrofisica e Scienza dello Spazio di Bologna（意大利国家天体物理研究所，博洛尼亚天文与空间科学观测站）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Fakultät für Physik, Universität Bielefeld（比勒费尔德大学物理学院）；Department of Physics, Assam Don Bosco University（阿萨姆唐·波斯科大学物理系）；Department of Physics, Ashoka University（阿肖卡大学物理系）；School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学物理与天文学院）
We have analyzed three XMM-Newton observations of the central part of the unidentified TeV γ-ray source HESS J1804-216. We focus on two X-ray sources 2XMMi J180442.0-214221 (Src 1) and 2XMMi J180432.5-214009 (Src 2), which were suggested to be the possible X-ray counterparts to the TeV source. We discover a 2.93 hr X-ray periodicity from Src 1, with the pulse profile explained with a self-eclipsing pole in an eclipsing polar. Src 2 exhibits a strong Fe emission line (FWHM ~0.3 keV and equivalent width ~0.8 keV) and large X-ray variability on timescales of hours and is probably an intermediate …
We present optical spectroscopy of candidate AGN pinpointed by a Swift follow-up campaign on unidentified transients in the XMM-Newton Slew Survey, increasing the completeness of the identifications of AGN in the Survey. Our Swift follow-up campaign identified 17 XRT-detected candidate AGN, of which nine were selected for optical follow-up and a further two were confirmed as AGN elsewhere. Using data obtained at the William Herschel Telescope, Very Large Telescope and New Technology Telescope, we find AGN features in seven of the candidates. We classify six as Seyfert types 1.0 to 1.5, with br…
SGR 0526-66 was the first soft gamma-ray repeater (SGR) from which a giant flare was detected in March 1979, suggesting the existence of magnetars, i.e. neutron stars powered by the decay of their extremely strong magnetic field. Since then, very little information has been obtained on this object, mainly because it has been burst-inactive since 1983 and the study of its persistent X-ray emission has been hampered by its large distance and its location in a X-ray bright supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Here we report on a comprehensive analysis of all the available XMM-Newton o…
We identify sources with extremely hard X-ray spectra (i.e., with photon indices of Gamma<0.6 in the 13 sq. deg. NuSTAR serendipitous survey, to search for the most highly obscured AGNs detected at >10 keV. Eight extreme NuSTAR sources are identified, and we use the NuSTAR data in combination with lower energy X-ray observations (from Chandra, Swift XRT, and XMM-Newton) to characterize the broad-band (0.5-24 keV) X-ray spectra. We find that all of the extreme sources are highly obscured AGNs, including three robust Compton-thick (CT; N_H > 1.5e24 cm^-2) AGNs at low redshift (z<0.1), and a like…
Although absorbed quasars are extremely important for our understanding of the energetics of the Universe, the main physical parameters of their central engines are still poorly known. In this work we present and study a complete sample of 14 quasars (QSOs) that are absorbed in the X-rays (column density NH>4x10^21 cm-2 and X-ray luminosity L(2-10 keV)>10^44 ergs/s; XQSO2) belonging to the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Survey (XBS). From the analysis of their ultraviolet-to-mid-infrared spectral energy distribution we can separate the nuclear emission from the host galaxy contribution, obtai…
We report the serendipitous discovery with XMM-Newton that 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is an 11.56 s X-ray pulsar located 1' away from the southern boundary of supernova remnant Kes 79. The spin-down rate of 3XMM J185246.6+003317 is $<1.1\times 10^{-13}$ s s$^{-1}$, which, together with the long period P=11.558714(2) s, indicates a dipolar surface magnetic field of $<3.6\times 10^{-13}$ G, a characteristic age of $>1.7$ Myr, and a spin-down luminosity of $<2.8\times 10^{30}$ erg s$^{-1}$. The X-ray spectrum of the source is best-fitted with a resonant Compton scattering model, and can be also adequa…
We report on the Swift detection of a thermonuclear X-ray burst from the very-faint quasi-persistent neutron star X-ray binary XMMU J174716.1-281048, which triggered the satellite's Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on 2010 August 13. Analysis of the BAT spectrum yields an observed bolometric peak flux of ~4.5E-8 erg/cm2/s, from which we infer a source distance of <8.4 kpc. Follow-up observations with Swift's X-ray Telescope (XRT) suggest that the event had a duration of ~3 h and a total radiated energy of ~9E40 erg, which classify it as an intermediately long X-ray burst. This is only the second X-…
Many different classes of X-ray sources contribute to the Galactic landscape at high energies. Although the nature of the most luminous X-ray emitters is now fairly well understood, the population of low-to-medium X-ray luminosity (Lx = 10^27-10^34 erg/s) sources remains much less studied, our knowledge being mostly based on the observation of local members. The advent of wide field and high sensitivity X-ray telescopes such as XMM-Newton now offers the opportunity to observe this low-to-medium Lx population at large distances. We report on the results of a Galactic plane survey conducted by t…
We report on the main results obtained thanks to an observation campaign, performed with XMM-Newton, of four persistent, low-luminosity (Lx ~ 10^34 erg/s) and long-period (P > 200 s) Be accreting pulsars. We found that all sources considered here are characterized by a spectral excess that can be described with a blackbody component of high temperature (kT > 1 keV) and small area (R < 0.5 km). We show that: 1) this feature is a common property of several low-luminosity X-ray binaries; 2) for most sources the blackbody parameters (radius and temperature) are within a narrow range of values; 3) …
The second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue, 2XMM, provides the ideal data base for performing a statistical evaluation of the flux cross-calibration of the XMM-Newton European Photon Imaging Cameras (EPIC). We aim to evaluate the status of the relative flux calibration of the EPIC cameras on board XMM-Newton (MOS1, MOS2, and pn) and investigate the dependence of the calibration on energy, position in the field of view of the X-ray detectors, and lifetime of the mission. We compiled the distribution of flux percentage differences for large samples of 'good quality' objects detected wi…
We report on the follow-up $XMM-Newton$ observation of the persistent X-ray pulsar CXOU J225355.1+624336, discovered with the CATS@BAR project on archival $Chandra$ data. The source was detected at $f_{\rm X}$(0.5-10 keV) = 3.4$\times 10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, a flux level which is fully consistent with the previous observations performed with $ROSAT$, $Swift$, and $Chandra$. The measured pulse period $P$ = 46.753(3) s, compared with the previous measurements, implies a constant spin down at an average rate $\dot P = 5.3\times 10^{-10}$ s s$^{-1}$. The pulse profile is energy dependent…
We present a catalog of 792 DR5 SDSS quasars with optical spectra that have been observed serendipitously in the X-rays with the \emph{XMM-Newton}. These quasars cover a redshift range of z = 0.11 - 5.41 and a magnitude range of i = 15.3-20.7. Substantial numbers of radio-loud (70) and broad absorption line (51) quasars exist within this sample. Significant X-ray detections at >2sigma account for 87% of the sample (685 quasars), and 473 quasars are detected at >6sigma, sufficient to allow X-ray spectral fits. For detected sources, ~ 60% have X-ray fluxes between F(2-10 keV) = 1 - 10 x 10^-14 e…
This paper presents the results of the analysis of the very first dedicated X-ray observation with XMM-Newton of WR106. This carbon-rich WC9d Wolf-Rayet star belongs to the category of persistent dust makers (WCd stars). The issue of the multiplicity of these dust makers is pivotal to understand the dust formation process, and in this context X-ray observations may allow to reveal an X-ray emission attributable to colliding-winds in a binary system. The main result of this analysis is the lack of detection of X-rays coming from WR106. Upper limits on the X-ray flux are estimated, but the deriv…
Past X-ray observations of the nearby Seyfert 2 MCG-03-58-007 revealed the presence of a powerful and highly variable disk wind, where two possible phases outflowing with $v_{\rm out1}/c\sim -0.07$ and $v_{\rm out2}/c\sim -0.2$ were observed. Multi-epoch X-ray observations, covering the period from 2010 to 2018, showed that the lower velocity component is persistent, as it was detected in all the observations, while the faster phase outflowing with $v_{\rm out2}/c\sim -0.2$ appeared to be more sporadic. Here we present the analysis of a new monitoring campaign of MCG-03-58-007 performed in May…
New high variability extragalactic sources may be identified by comparing the flux of sources seen in the XMM-Newton Slew Survey with detections and upper limits from the ROSAT All Sky Survey. In November 2012, X-ray emission was detected from the galaxy XMMSL1 J061927.1-655311 (a.k.a. 2MASX 06192755-6553079), a factor 140 times higher than an upper limit from 20 years earlier. Both the X-ray and UV flux subsequently fell, over the following year, by factors of 20 and 4 respectively. Optically, the galaxy appears to be a Seyfert I with broad Balmer lines and weak, narrow, low-ionisation emissi…
