Andrew Yee
January 25th 06, 02:09 PM
ESA News
http://www.esa.int
25 January 2006
XMM-Newton scores 1000 top-class science results
XMM-Newton, ESA's X-ray observatory, continues its quest for the unknown.
This month, after five years of operations, the mission saw the
publication of its 1000th scientific paper, corresponding to an equivalent
number of results, in top-class scientific journals. This is not the only
record-breaking figure for this X-ray 'hunter' mission.
There are several ways to measure the scientific success of a mission. One
is certainly to look at the use the scientific community makes of the data
obtained by the mission, and at the number, novelty and significance of
the results so produced.
From the very beginning of its operations in early 2000, hundreds of
scientists all around the world have been subscribing to 'book' observing
time with XMM-Newton, eager to obtain data and new clues about the hidden
and powerful phenomena taking place in the Universe -- black holes, birth
and death of stars, active galactic nuclei.
Each of the five calls for observation proposals issued so far by ESA
towards the scientific community, resulted in a subscription exceeding by
seven times the observing slots available. More than 1600 astronomers, an
estimated 20 per cent of the world-wide community, had participated to
provide their ideas for using XMM-Newton to target highly energetic,
exotic and still mysterious space objects.
Scientific results based on XMM-Newton data are now being published at a
steady rate of almost 300 papers per year, comparable to the famous Hubble
Space Telescope.
Why this huge interest in XMM-Newton? What gives the mission such a
world-class profile?
The fact is that XMM-Newton's capabilities are unprecedented and unique,
with optics that are a masterpiece of engineering. Each of its three X-ray
telescopes is made of 58 co-axial cylindrical mirrors, capable of
reflecting X-rays coming from numerous cosmic sources onto the spacecraft
special detectors. This is enabling astronomers to discover in one day
more than any other X-ray mission has discovered over weeks of operations.
XMM-Newton is among the X-ray observatories with the highest spectral
resolution. It is in fact with X-ray spectroscopy -- the spreading of
light into its components -- that XMM-Newton is revealing the deepest
secrets of a source, such as its chemical composition, temperature, and
even its velocity.
The huge collective area of the mirrors is fundamental to obtain
high-quality spectra of faint and serendipitous objects with the imaging
cameras. Furthermore, with its six powerful instruments including an
optical monitor with ultraviolet capabilities, this space observatory can
have a look at sources in several wavelengths simultaneously.
XMM-Newton has been already unveiling many stars' secrets. Among its
discoveries, it characterised for the first time X-ray spectra and light
curves of some classes of proto-stars (stars being born) and provided an
unprecedented insight into the X-ray variability of the corona of stars
similar to our Sun.
With its capability to respond as quickly as five hours to
target-of-opportunity requests for observing elusive gamma-ray bursts,
this space observatory detected for the first time an X-ray halo around
the bursts, where the halo appeared as concentric ring-like structures
centred on the burst location.
XMM-Newton has already shed new light on supernovae remnants, as well as
on neutron stars. On the latter, an exciting discovery was that of a bow
shock aligned with the supersonic motion of a neutron star (called
'Geminga'), and the detection of hot spots indicating that the
configuration of neutron stars magnetic field and surface temperatures are
much more complex than previously thought.
These and other fundamental discoveries on clusters of galaxies, dark
matter, and the way of determining mass and spin in gigantic black holes
in active galactic nuclei, are only a part of the findings obtained thanks
to XMM-Newton's data. "The mission source catalogue contains detailed
information on about 50 000 new X-ray sources. This will rise up to 200
000 this year, when a new catalogue is to be released," says Norbert
Schartel, ESA Project Scientist for XMM-Newton. "These top-class data are
precious material for the astronomical community which is already making
an extraordinary use of them."
"We are glad and proud that XMM-Newton results continue to break new
ground in many scientific fields, and we are looking forward to the
exciting challenges that lie ahead for the mission," he concludes.
Notes to editors:
XMM-Newton was launched on 10 December 1999. In November 2005, the mission
was extended until 31 March 2010. A further review of the scientific
performance and of the missions status will take place around autumn 2007.
For more information:
Norbert Schartel
ESA XMM-Newton Project Scientist
E-mail: norbert.schartel @ sciops.esa.int
Fred Jansen
ESA XMM-Newton Mission Manager
E-mail: fjansen @ rssd.esa.int
More about...
* XMM-Newton factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM14YS1VED_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton overview
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/120385_index_0_m.html
Related articles
* ESA's Integral and XMM-Newton missions extended
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM31GVLWFE_index_0.html)
* XMM-Newton's fifth anniversary in orbit
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMZ5CXJD1E_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton sees 'hot spots' on neutron stars
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMLY9NQS7E_index_0.html
* ESA is hot on the trail of Geminga
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMQB4YO4HD_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton probes formation of galaxy clusters
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDW5A5QCE_index_0.html
IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAB0NZCIE_index_1.html]
This X-ray image, showing a mosaic of the spiral galaxy M33, was taken by
the X-ray imaging cameras on board ESA's XMM-Newton in August 2000. The
marked ellipse limits the area of the optical view of this galaxy. Thanks
to XMM-Newton data and images like these, scientists around the world have
produced 1000 papers so far, a major achievement for the mission.
Credits: W. Pietsch, MPE (Garching, Germany)/ESA
http://www.esa.int
25 January 2006
XMM-Newton scores 1000 top-class science results
XMM-Newton, ESA's X-ray observatory, continues its quest for the unknown.
This month, after five years of operations, the mission saw the
publication of its 1000th scientific paper, corresponding to an equivalent
number of results, in top-class scientific journals. This is not the only
record-breaking figure for this X-ray 'hunter' mission.
There are several ways to measure the scientific success of a mission. One
is certainly to look at the use the scientific community makes of the data
obtained by the mission, and at the number, novelty and significance of
the results so produced.
From the very beginning of its operations in early 2000, hundreds of
scientists all around the world have been subscribing to 'book' observing
time with XMM-Newton, eager to obtain data and new clues about the hidden
and powerful phenomena taking place in the Universe -- black holes, birth
and death of stars, active galactic nuclei.
Each of the five calls for observation proposals issued so far by ESA
towards the scientific community, resulted in a subscription exceeding by
seven times the observing slots available. More than 1600 astronomers, an
estimated 20 per cent of the world-wide community, had participated to
provide their ideas for using XMM-Newton to target highly energetic,
exotic and still mysterious space objects.
Scientific results based on XMM-Newton data are now being published at a
steady rate of almost 300 papers per year, comparable to the famous Hubble
Space Telescope.
Why this huge interest in XMM-Newton? What gives the mission such a
world-class profile?
The fact is that XMM-Newton's capabilities are unprecedented and unique,
with optics that are a masterpiece of engineering. Each of its three X-ray
telescopes is made of 58 co-axial cylindrical mirrors, capable of
reflecting X-rays coming from numerous cosmic sources onto the spacecraft
special detectors. This is enabling astronomers to discover in one day
more than any other X-ray mission has discovered over weeks of operations.
XMM-Newton is among the X-ray observatories with the highest spectral
resolution. It is in fact with X-ray spectroscopy -- the spreading of
light into its components -- that XMM-Newton is revealing the deepest
secrets of a source, such as its chemical composition, temperature, and
even its velocity.
The huge collective area of the mirrors is fundamental to obtain
high-quality spectra of faint and serendipitous objects with the imaging
cameras. Furthermore, with its six powerful instruments including an
optical monitor with ultraviolet capabilities, this space observatory can
have a look at sources in several wavelengths simultaneously.
XMM-Newton has been already unveiling many stars' secrets. Among its
discoveries, it characterised for the first time X-ray spectra and light
curves of some classes of proto-stars (stars being born) and provided an
unprecedented insight into the X-ray variability of the corona of stars
similar to our Sun.
With its capability to respond as quickly as five hours to
target-of-opportunity requests for observing elusive gamma-ray bursts,
this space observatory detected for the first time an X-ray halo around
the bursts, where the halo appeared as concentric ring-like structures
centred on the burst location.
XMM-Newton has already shed new light on supernovae remnants, as well as
on neutron stars. On the latter, an exciting discovery was that of a bow
shock aligned with the supersonic motion of a neutron star (called
'Geminga'), and the detection of hot spots indicating that the
configuration of neutron stars magnetic field and surface temperatures are
much more complex than previously thought.
These and other fundamental discoveries on clusters of galaxies, dark
matter, and the way of determining mass and spin in gigantic black holes
in active galactic nuclei, are only a part of the findings obtained thanks
to XMM-Newton's data. "The mission source catalogue contains detailed
information on about 50 000 new X-ray sources. This will rise up to 200
000 this year, when a new catalogue is to be released," says Norbert
Schartel, ESA Project Scientist for XMM-Newton. "These top-class data are
precious material for the astronomical community which is already making
an extraordinary use of them."
"We are glad and proud that XMM-Newton results continue to break new
ground in many scientific fields, and we are looking forward to the
exciting challenges that lie ahead for the mission," he concludes.
Notes to editors:
XMM-Newton was launched on 10 December 1999. In November 2005, the mission
was extended until 31 March 2010. A further review of the scientific
performance and of the missions status will take place around autumn 2007.
For more information:
Norbert Schartel
ESA XMM-Newton Project Scientist
E-mail: norbert.schartel @ sciops.esa.int
Fred Jansen
ESA XMM-Newton Mission Manager
E-mail: fjansen @ rssd.esa.int
More about...
* XMM-Newton factsheet
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM14YS1VED_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton overview
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/120385_index_0_m.html
Related articles
* ESA's Integral and XMM-Newton missions extended
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM31GVLWFE_index_0.html)
* XMM-Newton's fifth anniversary in orbit
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMZ5CXJD1E_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton sees 'hot spots' on neutron stars
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMLY9NQS7E_index_0.html
* ESA is hot on the trail of Geminga
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMQB4YO4HD_index_0.html
* XMM-Newton probes formation of galaxy clusters
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMDW5A5QCE_index_0.html
IMAGE CAPTION:
[http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAB0NZCIE_index_1.html]
This X-ray image, showing a mosaic of the spiral galaxy M33, was taken by
the X-ray imaging cameras on board ESA's XMM-Newton in August 2000. The
marked ellipse limits the area of the optical view of this galaxy. Thanks
to XMM-Newton data and images like these, scientists around the world have
produced 1000 papers so far, a major achievement for the mission.
Credits: W. Pietsch, MPE (Garching, Germany)/ESA