In-orbit Vignetting Calibrations of XMM-Newton Telescopes

We describe measurements of the mirror vignetting in the XMM-Newton Observatory made in-orbit, using observations of SNR G21.5-09 and SNR 3C58 with the EPIC imaging cameras. The instrument features that complicate these measurements are briefly described. We show the spatial and energy dependences of measured vignetting, outlining assumptions made in deriving the eventual agreement between simulation and measurement. Alternate methods to confirm these are described, including an assessment of source elongation with off-axis angle, the surface brightness distribution of the diffuse X-ray background, and the consistency of Coma cluster emission at different position angles. A synthesis of these measurements leads to a change in the XMM calibration data base, for the optical axis of two of the three telescopes, by in excess of 1 arcminute. This has a small but measureable effect on the assumed spectral responses of the cameras for on-axis targets.Comment: Accepted by Experimental Astronomy. 26 pages, 18 figure

An XMM-Newton view of the serendipitous sources in the PKS0312-770 field

We describe an XMM-Newton observation of the PKS0312-770 field, which facilitates the spectral analysis of serendipitous sources previously detected by CHANDRA. The combination of larger effective area and longer exposure duration allows a significant increase in detected photons, and a lower limit in source detection sensitivity. In particular the hard X-ray normal galaxy unveiled by Fiore et al (2000) is most likely explained as a moderately absorbed (N_H ~ 1e22 cm^-2) AGN. We detect 52 sources (45 previously unreported) at a limiting flux of ~2e-15 cgs in the 0.5-2keV band. The LogN-LogS curve is consistent with that derived from by XMM-Newton observations of the Lockman Hole field. The flux determinations allow to check for any inconsistency between the calibrations of the two observatories, which is discussed

An XMM and Chandra view of massive clusters of galaxies to z=1

The X-ray properties of a sample of high redshift (z>0.6), massive clusters observed with XMM-Newton and Chandra are described, including two exceptional systems. One, at z=0.89, has an X-ray temperature of T=11.5 (+1.1, -0.9) keV (the highest temperature of any cluster known at z>0.6), an estimated mass of (1.4+/-0.2)x10^15 solar masses and appears relaxed. The other, at z=0.83, has at least three sub-clumps, probably in the process of merging, and may also show signs of faint filamentary structure at large radii,observed in X-rays. In general there is a mix of X-ray morphologies, from those clusters which appear relaxed and containing little substructure to some highly non-virialized and probably merging systems. The X-ray gas metallicities and gas mass fractions of the relaxed systems are similar to those of low redshift clusters of the same temperature, suggesting that the gas was in place, and containing its metals, by z=0.8. The evolution of the mass-temperature relation may be consistent with no evolution or with the ``late formation'' assumption. The effect of point source contamination in the ROSAT survey from which these clusters were selected is estimated, and the implications for the ROSAT X-ray luminosity function discussed.Comment: 9 pages, in Carnegie Observatories Astrophysics Series, Vol. 3: Clusters of Galaxies: Probes of Cosmological Structure and Galaxy Evolution, ed. J. S. Mulchaey, A. Dressler, and A. Oemler. See http://www.ociw.edu/ociw/symposia/series/symposium3/proceedings.html for a full-resolution versio

New high-sensitivity, milliarcsecond resolution results from routine observations of lunar occultations at the ESO VLT

(Abridged) Lunar occultations (LO) are a very efficient and powerful technique, that achieves the best combination of high angular resolution and sensitivity possible today at near-infrared wavelengths. Given that the events are fixed in time, that the sources are occulted randomly, and that the telescope use is minimal, the technique is very well suited for service mode observations. We have established a program of routine LO observations at the VLT observatory, especially designed to take advantage of short breaks available in-between other programs. We have used the ISAAC instrument in burst mode, capable of producing continuous read-outs at millisecond rates on a suitable subwindow. Given the random nature of the source selection, our aim has been primarily the investigation of a large number of stellar sources at the highest angular resolution in order to detect new binaries. Serendipitous results such as resolved sources and detection of circumstellar components were also anticipated. We have recorded the signal from background stars for a few seconds, around the predicted time of occultation by the Moon's dark limb. At millisecond time resolution, a characteristic diffraction pattern can be observed. Patterns for two or more sources superimpose linearly, and this property is used for the detection of binary stars. The detailed analysis of the diffraction fringes can be used to measure specific properties such as the stellar angular size and the presence of extended light sources such as a circumstellar shell. We present a list of 191 stars for which LO data could be recorded and analyzed. Results include the detection of 16 binary and 2 triple stars, all but one of which were previously unknown. The projected angular separations are as small as 4 milliarcseconds and magnitude differences as high as ?K=5.8 mag...Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to be published in A&

Redshift determination in the X-ray band of gamma-ray bursts

If gamma-ray bursts originate in dense stellar forming regions, the interstellar material can imprint detectable absorption features on the observed X-ray spectrum. Such features can be detected by existing and planned X-ray satellites, as long as the X-ray afterglow is observed after a few minutes from the burst. If the column density of the interstellar material exceeds ~10^{23} cm^{-2} there exists the possibility to detect the K_alpha fluorescent iron line, which should be visible for more than one year, long after the X-ray afterglow continuum has faded away. Detection of these X-ray features will make possible the determination of the redshift of gamma-ray bursts even when their optical afterglow is severely dimmed by extinction.Comment: 15 pages with 5 figures. Submitted to Ap

VIS: the visible imager for Euclid

Euclid-VIS is a large format visible imager for the ESA Euclid space mission in their Cosmic Vision program, scheduled for launch in 2019. Together with the near infrared imaging within the NISP instrument it forms the basis of the weak lensing measurements of Euclid. VIS will image in a single r+i+z band from 550-900 nm over a field of view of ~0.5 deg2. By combining 4 exposures with a total of 2240 sec, VIS will reach to V=24.5 (10{\sigma}) for sources with extent ~0.3 arcsec. The image sampling is 0.1 arcsec. VIS will provide deep imaging with a tightly controlled and stable point spread function (PSF) over a wide survey area of 15000 deg2 to measure the cosmic shear from nearly 1.5 billion galaxies to high levels of accuracy, from which the cosmological parameters will be measured. In addition, VIS will also provide a legacy imaging dataset with an unprecedented combination of spatial resolution, depth and area covering most of the extra-Galactic sky. Here we will present the results of the study carried out by the Euclid Consortium during the Euclid Definition phase.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

EK Eridani: the tip of the iceberg of giants which have evolved from magnetic Ap stars

We observe the slowly-rotating, active, single giant, EK Eri, to study and infer the nature of its magnetic field directly. We used the spectropolarimeter NARVAL at the Telescope Bernard Lyot, Pic du Midi Observatory, and the Least Square Deconvolution method to create high signal-to-noise ratio Stokes V profiles. We fitted the Stokes V profiles with a model of the large-scale magnetic field. We studied the classical activity indicators, the CaII H and K lines, the CaII infrared triplet, and H\alpha line. We detected the Stokes V signal of EK Eri securely and measured the longitudinal magnetic field Bl for seven individual dates spanning 60% of the rotational period. The measured longitudinal magnetic field of EK Eri reached about 100 G and was as strong as fields observed in RSCVn or FK Com type stars: this was found to be extraordinary when compared with the weak fields observed at the surfaces of slowly-rotating MS stars or any single red giant previously observed with NARVAL. From our modeling, we infer that the mean surface magnetic field is about 270 G, and that the large scale magnetic field is dominated by a poloidal component. This is compatible with expectations for the descendant of a strongly magnetic Ap star.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Magnetic field structure in single late-type giants: The effectively single giant V390 Aur

We have studied the active giant V390 Aur using spectropolarimetry to obtain direct and simultaneous measurements of the magnetic field and the activity indicators in order to get a precise insight of its activity. We used the spectropolarimeter NARVAL at the Bernard Lyot Telescope (Observatoire du Pic du Midi, France) to obtain a series of Stokes I and Stokes V profiles. The Least Square deconvolution (LSD) technique was applied to detect the Zeeman signature of the magnetic field in each of our 13 observations and to measure its longitudinal component. We could also monitor the CaII K & H and IR triplet, as well as the H_alpha lines which are activity indicators. In order to reconstruct the magnetic field geometry of V390 Aur, we applied the Zeeman Doppler Imaging (ZDI) inversion method and present a map for the magnetic field. Based on the obtained spectra, we also refined the fundamental parameters of the star and the Li abundance. The ZDI revealed a structure in the radial magnetic field consisting of a polar magnetic spot of positive polarity and several negative spots at lower latitude. A high latitude belt is present on the azimuthal field map, indicative of a toroidal field close to the surface. It was found that the photometric period cannot fit the behaviour of the activity indicators formed in the chromosphere. Their behaviour suggests slower rotation compared to the photosphere, but our dataset is too short to be able to estimate the exact periods for them.Accepted for publication in A&A All these results can be explained in terms of an \alpha-\omega dynamo operation, taking into account the stellar structure and rotation properties of V390 Aur that we study using up to-date stellar models computed at solar metallicity. The calculated Rossby number also points to a very efficient dynamoComment: To appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 8 pages, 5 figure

An XMM-Newton view of the `bare' nucleus of Fairall 9

We present the spectral results from a 130 ks observation, obtained from the X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission-Newton (XMM-Newton) observatory, of the type I Seyfert galaxy Fairall 9. An X-ray hardness-ratio analysis of the light-curves, reveals a `softer-when-brighter' behaviour which is typical for radio-quiet type I Seyfert galaxies. Moreover, we analyse the high spectral-resolution data of the reflection grating spectrometer and we did not find any significant evidence supporting the presence of warm-absorber in the low X-ray energy part of the source's spectrum. This means that the central nucleus of Fairall 9 is `clean' and thus its X-ray spectral properties probe directly the physical conditions of the central engine. The overall X-ray spectrum in the 0.5-10 keV energy-range, derived from the EPIC data, can be modelled by a relativistically blurred disc-reflection model. This spectral model yields for Fairall 9 an intermediate black-hole best-fit spin parameter of $\alpha=0.39^{+0.48}_{-0.30}$.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. The paper contains 11 figures and 1 tabl

An absorption event in the X-ray lightcurve of NGC 3227

We have monitored the Seyfert galaxy NGC 3227 with the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) since January 1999. During late 2000 and early 2001 we observed an unusual hardening of the 2-10 keV X-ray spectrum which lasted several months. The spectral hardening was not accompanied by any correlated variation in flux above 8 keV. We therefore interpret the spectral change as transient absorption by a gas cloud of column density 2.6 10^23 cm^-2 crossing the line of sight to the X-ray source. A spectrum obtained by XMM-Newton during an early phase of the hard-spectrum event confirms the obscuration model and shows that the absorbing cloud is only weakly ionised. The XMM-Newton spectrum also shows that ~10% of the X-ray flux is not obscured, but this unabsorbed component is not significantly variable and may be scattered radiation from a large-scale scattering medium. Applying the spectral constraints on cloud ionisation parameter and assuming that the cloud follows a Keplerian orbit, we constrain the location of the cloud to be R~10-100 light-days from the central X-ray source, and its density to be n_H~10^8cm^-3, implying that we have witnessed the eclipse of the X-ray source by a broad line region cloud.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS letter