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Kirsch, M. G. F., Schönherr, G., Kendziorra, E., Freyberg, M. J., Martin, M., Wilms, J., Mukerjee, K., Breitfellner, M. G., Smith, M. J. S. and Staubert, R. (2006) The XMM-Newton view of the Crab. Astronomy & Astrophysics, Vol.453 (No.1). pp. 173-180. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20054783 ISSN 0004-6361.
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20054783
Abstract
Aims. We discuss the current X-ray view of the Crab Nebula and Pulsar, summarising our analysis of observations of the source with the EPIC-pn camera on board the XMM-Newton observatory. Different modes of EPIC-pn were combined in order to yield a complete scenario of the spectral properties of the Crab resolved in space and time (pulse phase). In addition we give a description of the special
EPIC-pn Burst mode and guidance for data reduction in that mode.
Methods. We analysed spectra for the nebula and pulsar separately in the 0.6−12.0 keV energy band. All data were processed with the
SAS 6.0.0 XMM-Newton Scientific Analysis System package; models were fitted to the data with XSPEC 11. The high time resolution of EPIC-pn in its Burst mode (7 μs) was used for a phase resolved analysis of the pulsar spectrum, after determination of the period with epoch folding techniques. Data from the SmallWindow mode were processed and corrected for pile-up allowing for spectroscopy
simultaneously resolved in space and time.
Results. The spatial variation of the spectrum over the entire region of the Crab shows a gradual spectral softening from the inner pulsar region to the outer nebula region with a variation in photon index, Γ, from 2.0 to 2.4. Pulse phase resolved spectroscopy of the Crab Pulsar reveals a phase dependent modulation of the photon index in form of a significant hardening of the spectrum in the
inter-peak phase from Γ = 1.7 during the pulse peak to Γ = 1.5.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | Q Science > QB Astronomy | ||||
Divisions: | Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Science > Physics | ||||
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Crab Nebula, Pulsars | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | Astronomy & Astrophysics | ||||
Publisher: | EDP Sciences | ||||
ISSN: | 0004-6361 | ||||
Official Date: | July 2006 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | Vol.453 | ||||
Number: | No.1 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 173-180 | ||||
DOI: | 10.1051/0004-6361:20054783 | ||||
Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
Access rights to Published version: | Open Access (Creative Commons) | ||||
Funder: | European Space Agency (ESA), United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (Great Britain) (PPARC), Germany. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) |
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