The Next Decade with XMM-NEWTON
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xmm_134.qxd 6/5/08 12:33 PM Page 2 XMM-Newton Norbert Schartel Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESAC, Villafranca, Spain Arvind Parmar Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands MM-Newton is one of ESA’s most successful science missions. Launched in XDecember 1999, the spacecraft is technically able to continue this scientific success story and now, encouraged by its impressive scientific output, ESA has already extended XMM-Newton’s operations well beyond its original 10-year design lifetime. Introduction X-rays open up a universe unseen to our eyes. In 1901, the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics for the production and detection of X-rays. The prize was awarded only six years after the discovery, due to the immediate importance of X-rays as a medical diagnostic tool. X-rays are also an important diagnostic tool for astronomers, since they are emitted by very hot gas or plasma at temperatures of several million Kelvin that cannot be detected by other means. Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, astronomers had to wait until the advent of the space age to observe the X-ray sky. esa bulletin 134 - may 2008 3 xmm_134.qxd 6/5/08 12:33 PM Page 2 XMM-Newton Norbert Schartel Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESAC, Villafranca, Spain Arvind Parmar Directorate of Scientific Programmes, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands MM-Newton is one of ESA’s most successful science missions. Launched in XDecember 1999, the spacecraft is technically able to continue this scientific success story and now, encouraged by its impressive scientific output, ESA has already extended XMM-Newton’s operations well beyond its original 10-year design lifetime. Introduction X-rays open up a universe unseen to our eyes. In 1901, the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics for the production and detection of X-rays. The prize was awarded only six years after the discovery, due to the immediate importance of X-rays as a medical diagnostic tool. X-rays are also an important diagnostic tool for astronomers, since they are emitted by very hot gas or plasma at temperatures of several million Kelvin that cannot be detected by other means. Because X-rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, astronomers had to wait until the advent of the space age to observe the X-ray sky. esa bulletin 134 - may 2008 3 xmm_134.qxd 6/5/08 12:33 PM Page 4 Science XMM-Newton Sir Isaac Newton XMM-Newton’s Scientific Payload EPIC-pn EPIC-MOS RGS Extended Mission Operations Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727) was an English The power of an astronomical telescope Energy bandpass (keV) 0.15-12 0.15-10 0.35-2.5 XMM-Newton operations were origi- physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural depends on how much incoming light Field of view (arcmin) 30 30 5 nally approved for 2.25 years of philosopher and alchemist. His book of 1687, can be collected. Nearly all materials Spatial resolution (arcsec) 6 5 N/A operations with a design lifetime of Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, absorb incident X-rays. It is therefore Temporal resolution (ms) 0.03 1.5 16 10 years. XMM-Newton will exceed its described universal gravitation and the laws of impossible to construct a mirror that Energy resolution at 1 keV (eV) 80 70 3.2 design lifetime at the end of 2009. To motion, which provided the foundations for reflects and focuses X-rays in the same plan for operations beyond this date, an classical mechanics and dominated scientific way as in an optical telescope. The main characteristics of XMM-Newton’s X-ray instruments independent review of operations (the thinking for the next three centuries. Newton Instead, X-ray optics use a physical Mission Extended Operations Review) proved that the motions of objects on Earth and effect called ‘total reflection’ which was conducted in 2007. of celestial bodies are governed by the same set occurs only with very small reflection over-subscribed. For example, 586 also an indicator of the importance of The review focused on the expected of natural laws by demonstrating the consistency angles, when the incoming ray is almost valid proposals were received in XMM-Newton to the scientific performances of the spacecraft, the between Kepler’s laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation. parallel to the mirror surface and thereby response to the 2007 announcement. community. instruments and ground segment, and ‘grazes’ it. We can experience this effect These were submitted by 424 different examined a new simpler operations Newton discovered the principles of conservation of momentum and with normal visible light, for instance principal investigators. If co- concept. This concept strongly reduces angular momentum. He invented the reflecting telescope and developed Scientific Impact a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes when driving along a wet road at sunset, investigators are included, about 1560 The number of publications based on costs by combining the Integral and white light into a visible spectrum. Newton shares the credit with you can be suddenly dazzled by the scientists from 33 different countries XMM-Newton data is growing steadily XMM-Newton Mission Operations Gottfried Leibnitz for the development of calculus. reflection of the Sun’s rays. participated in this call. at a rate of around 300 articles in teams at ESOC and automating the real- XMM-Newton carries three grazing – 1730 registered scientists retrieve data refereed scientific journals each year. But time monitoring of the instruments. incidence telescopes. Each telescope from the XMM-Newton on-line quantity does not say it all. What about Combined operations started in the consists of 58 gold-coated mirror shells archives or download the software the quality and importance of XMM- winter of 2007 and have been running The first cosmic X-ray source was XMM-Newton has been routinely that are nested inside one another like a needed to process them. Newton results? It is possible to assess smoothly since then. discovered during a short rocket flight in collecting scientific data for more than Russian doll. XMM-Newton provides the importance of a given scientific The status of the satellite and the 1962 (American astrophysicist Riccardo eight years. With almost 200 000 high-quality X-ray and optical/UV data We estimate that between 1500 and publication by counting the number of instruments remains excellent. On- Giacconi was awarded the Nobel Prize in individual sources, the XMM-Newton from six instruments simultaneously: 2000 scientists use XMM-Newton times it was mentioned, or cited, in other board consumables are sufficient to 2002, almost exactly 100 years after catalogue is the largest of its kind. Last three European Photon Imaging Camera routinely. This is approximately 20% of refereed articles. A 2007 analysis by Prof. operate for at least another 10 years. Röntgen, for his pioneering work leading autumn, ESA’s Science Programme (EPIC) cameras, two Reflection Grating all professional astronomers worldwide. V. Trimble and Dr J.A. Ceja showed that, The spacecraft is being operated on all to this discovery). X-ray astronomy then Committee approved mission operations Spectrometers (RGS) and the Optical Indeed, XMM-Newton is an observatory with an average of 31.4 citations per its prime hardware chains with no developed rapidly during the 1960s; the until the end of December 2012, with Monitor. open to the entire scientific community. article, XMM-Newton results have the redundant units having been used so first X-ray satellite was launched in 1970 further extensions possible assuming that An EPIC detector is positioned behind However, because observing time is so highest impact ratio of all observatories. far. The instruments are standing up to and discovered several hundred X-ray the outstanding scientific return each of the three X-ray mirror modules. valuable, its use is strictly regulated and Furthermore, 47% of XMM-Newton the harsh environment of space very sources. continues and that there are no major Two MOS-CCD cameras share two of optimised. articles are amongst the top 10% most well and are expected to continue European involvement started shortly technical problems. the modules with the RGS grating arrays Each year, ESA issues an Announce- cited publications, and 9.1% belong to providing outstanding results for many after with ESA’s first X-ray observatory, and a pn-CCD detector is located behind ment of Opportunity to which scientists the top 1% most cited class. years to come. Exosat, launched in 1983. The early and the other telescope position, providing from all over the world are invited to continued involvement in the field is an images of the X-ray sky as well as spectra respond by submitting an observing The cumulative number of publications in refereed journals that use XMM-Newton data important factor in maintaining Europe’s An XMM-Newton mirror module comprising of 58 nested mirror with moderate resolution and timing proposal. The scientific importance and strong position in X-ray astrophysics shells (ESA/Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH) information. The spectrometers disperse quality of all proposals are assessed today. the light from the telescope to produce by an Observing Time Allocation XMM-Newton, ESA’s large X-ray high-resolution X-ray spectra of all types Committee (OTAC) composed of senior observatory and second cornerstone of of celestial objects. astronomers selected for their scientific the Horizon 2000 programme, was excellence. launched in December 1999. It was Importance to the Scientific Community The OTAC evaluates all the submitted named after the technique behind the An objective measure of the impact of proposals and awards XMM-Newton mission (XMM stands for ‘X-ray Multi- XMM-Newton is the number of observing time only to those proposals Mirror’) and Sir Isaac Newton, the man scientists who use its data, and there are with the largest potential for discovery.