A Whole New Hot Universe by XMM Newton Liz Puchnarewicz Mullard Space Science Laboratory University College, London

Why X-rays? Cataclysmic variables - the ‘cannibal ‘ stars Quasars - monstrous black holes

Ariane V - XMM-Newton cutaway 10m XMM-Newton was launched into a highly- elliptical, 2-day orbit Perigee is 7,000 km, apogee is 114,000 km, one third of the way to the Moon Observations began in July 2000 The mission has cost ESA ~£500million, should last for 10 years – and is almost 10 times more sensitive than the US mission, Chandra.

XMM Newton before launch This is XMM-Newton in the clean room at ESTEC, in Noordwijk (Netherlands). The observatory is assembled just before being shipped to French Guiana for launch. It stands about 10m tall.

XMM Newton

Imaging spectroscopy An X-ray spectrum at every point in an image.

Protostellar formation In a cloud of dust and gas 500 light years away, stars are being born at a very fast rate. Within is a stellar system of two stars which may well condense into a kind of ‘solar system’. Its two discs are each 20 AU across. The system is less than a million years old.

The protostellar X-ray jet The IRS5 stars appear to be powering – jointly or separately – at least two observable jets, which are moving outwards at a speed of between km/s. The temperature of these jets is about K.

Is this a protostar system? The jets stretch out to distances of about 1000 AU. Stellar winds create a ‘cavity’ around the jets. This cavity reflects light from the two stars. X-rays from the jets shine down on the accretion disks – are all systems formed this way?

This is a real jet This jet is from the black hole in the galaxy, M87 X-ray image from NASA’s Chandra Observatory

Tycho Supernova remnant This is the Tycho supernova remnant, discovered by Tycho Brahe. X-rays are emitted from the very hot gas within via bremsstrahlung. As material slams through the interstellar medium, shock waves also emit X-rays.

Tycho SNR X-ray spectrum

Elemental shock fronts From the spectrum we can slice through the SNR by element to see where the emission from each is strongest. Note the differences between the elements.

Multiwavelength facility

RGS high resolution spectra For gas temperatures, densities and composition.

M81 in the UV - hot stars, binary stars and a quasar- type black hole OM UV image of M81

The starburst galaxy, NGC 253 Image in visible light

NGC253 – image in X-rays

Two stars switch off in the Andromeda Galaxy

Are these supersoft binary stars? the period is very short so the stars must be close then the system would be faint but it’s bright and we know they’re in Andromeda so we have a new supersoft source

Gazing into the Universe

Quasars – testing relativity

A leap further with Xeus

Adding petals from the ISS

The End Liz Puchnarewicz Mullard Space Science Laboratory University College, London