The X-ray imaging telescopes on Exosat

The instrument configuration and performance characteristics of the X-ray imaging telescopes on EXOSAT are described. The instrument comprises two fully independent Wolter I imaging telescopes. Each telescope can be used in either of two principal modes: (i) an imaging mode with either a position sensitive proportional counter or a channel multiplier array plate in the focal plane, (ii) a spectrometer mode which features a 500 lines/mm and/or a 1000 lines/mm transmission grating as dispersive element.Preliminary results from the calibration of the fully integrated experiment indicate an ultimate angular resolution of 8.5 arc sec full width at half maximum or 17.5 arc sec half-power beam width. The ultimate wavelength resolution in the spectrometer mode ranges from 1Å for wavelengths below 50Å, to 5Å at wavelengths near 300Å.A method for estimating the telescope performance is given which reasonably accounts for the influence of the X-ray source spectrum and the degree of interstellar absorption on the counting statistics.A comparison between EXOSAT and the EINSTEIN telescope in terms of band width/resolution and minimum source detectability shows an enhanced potential for EXOSAT relative to EINSTEIN for sources with T 10⁷K and low column densities (< 4 × 10²⁰cm^–2) and a reduced potential for sources with hard, or heavily cut-off, spectra.     

EXOSAT and EINSTEIN High Resolution Images of the Small Magellanic Cloud

In order to obtain optical identifications and further information about the X-ray emission of sources discovered in the EINSTEIN IPC survey of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), we have used the EXOSAT CMA and EINSTEIN HRI at selected positions. These observations have so far resulted in several identifications (including 4 stellar objects with m_v 14 to 21 and a Seyfert galaxy), and the discovery of two new X-ray sources. Medium energy X-rays (2–6 keV) have been detected from the brightest SNR in the SMC, 1E0102.2-7219. We present here an initial report of these results.     

Magnetic activity in cool stars

Aspects of magnetic activity of late-type stars are reviewed: first, results obtained through the comparison of emissions from various temperature regimes in the outer atmospheres of cool stars, then results from stellar soft X-ray spectroscopy. Spectra obtained with different instruments (Imaging Proportional Counter and Solid State Spectrometer onboard the EINSTEIN Satellite, and the Objective Grating Instruments onboard EINSTEIN and EXOSAT) are interpreted through fits with model spectra consisting of one or two temperature components. Particular attention is given to the analysis of EXOSAT spectra of Procyon, Capella, and ² CrB. Finally various relations between rotation and different measures of activity are compared. The effective X-ray temperature, derived from single-temperature fits to soft X-ray IPC spectra, is shown to play a part in the relation between activity and rotation.     

EXOSAT observations of the BL Lac object Mkn 421

The BL Lac object Mkn 421 was observed by EXOSAT four times over a period of six days in February 1984. Significant X-ray variability was apparent on a timescale of less than a day, but with no accompanying spectral change. The source exhibited a very soft power law X-ray spectrum with an extremely low intrinsic column density (N_H10²⁰ cm^–2). There was no evidence for an additional hard component attributable to synchrotron self-Compton emission. The observations when combined with other published data imply that significant changes occur in the form of the broad-band UV/X-ray continuum of this source.     

The soft X-ray spectrum of NGC 4151

EXOSAT observations of the Seyfert galaxy NGC 4151 over the period July 1983 to April 1984 have revealed a decreasing flux in the 2 –10 keV band. In accord with previous measurements a power law spectrum attenuated with a simple column of cold gas does not provide a satisfactory spectral fit below 3 keV, where a lower relative opacity is required. Inclusion of additional low energy data from the EXOSAT telescopes allows the modelling of the absorbing column to be improved and reveals a second, separate, soft X-ray spectral component.     

EXOSAT observations of active stellar coronae in the Cygnus Loop,T Tau & NGC 2264 regions

A highly variable point X-ray source, first seen by the Einstein IPC, has been positioned with the EXOSAT CMA and identified with a bright (V = 8.5) K0 star. Although in the direction of the southern half of the Cygnus Loop, this star is almost certainly a foreground object and typical of other active cool stars that are related to RS CVn systems.An EXOSAT program to study T Tauri stars failed to detect T Tau itself. However, a strong X-ray source was observed 15 from T Tau, which in its turn had not been seen by Einstein. This new source has been identified with a hitherto unstudied 13 mag star which is likely to be a dMe flare star.The young star cluster NGC 2264 was observed with the EXOSAT CMA in an attempt to identify the sources found during an Einstein IPC study of S Mon. Apart from S Mon itself, only UV-bright objects were seen, but several of these are considered likely counterparts of the Einstein sources.     

EXOSAT 2–10 KeV observations of M87 and the Virgo cluster

A series of observations of the Virgo cluster of galaxies with the Medium Energy experiment on board EXOSAT are presented. These take the form of two orthogonal scans meeting at M87. The observed count rates have been compared with those obtained with the IPC on board the EINSTEIN observatory and are found to be consistent with the the IPC surface brightness distribution. This fact together with spectral data obtained with Exosat indicates that the region around M87 is more or less isothermal (T 2–3 keV) out to > 80 arc min from the centre. Although a slight hardening is seen near the optical centroid of the cluster the results do not support a model which involves a hot ( 8 keV) intra-cluster medium. A mass of 5 × 10¹³ solar masses is derived for the inner 90 arc minutes of M87.     

LMC X-4, AO538-66 and surrounding X-ray sources observed with EXOSAT

Repeated observations of LMC X-4 with EXOSAT were carried out in 1983/84 in order to study its 30.5 day cycle and to cover the expected outbursts of the recurrent LMC transient A0538-66. The latter source was inactive during our campaign although a variable circumstellar envelope was still present around the optical counterpart.At least ten further X-ray sources are detected in the CMA field of view around LMC X-4 including the SNR N49 which is the possible site for the March 5, 1979 -ray burster and N63A which appears to be variable in X-ray luminosity. We furthermore discuss the strongest sources that were not present in a previous EINSTEIN survey of the LMC.     

First detection of an X-ray burst and a one hour intensity dip in 4U1323-62

We report the results of a 1.4 10⁴s observation of the region of 4U 1323-62 with the EXOSAT ME. The source has a flux of 7–8 10^-11 erg/cm²s (2–10 keV) and a power-law spectrum with 1.1 < < 1.8. During our observation, the source showed a symmetric 60% dip in its X-ray flux of R~1 hr. The spectrum hardens during the dip. Inside the dip we observed an X-ray burst with a 2–10 keV peak flux of 7 10^-10 erg/cm²s. The burst spectrum is black-body, and shows evidence of cooling during the burst decay. The discovery of a burst from 4U 1323-62 settles the classification of the source; the observation of a dip suggests that we may be able to measure its orbital period in the near future.     

Spectral observation of the composite supernova remnant G 29.7-0.3

The X-ray properties of the supernova remnant G 29.7-0.3 are discussed based on spectral data from the EXOSAT satellite. In the 2 to 10 keV range a featureless power-law spectrum is obtained, the best-fit parameters being: energy spectral index =-0.77, hydrogen column density on the line of sight N_H=2.3.10²² cm^–2. The incident X-ray flux from the source is (3.6±0.1) 10¹¹ erg cm^–2 s^–1 in the 2 to 10 keV range corresponding to an intrinsic luminosity of about 2. 10³⁶ erg s^–1 for a distance of 19 kpc. The source was not seen with the imaging instrument thus constraining the hydrogen column density to be N_H=(3.3 ±0.3) 10²² cm^–2 and the energy spectral index =1.0±0.15. This new observation is consistent with emission by a synchroton nebula presumably fed by an active pulsar. An upper limit of 1.5% for the pulsed fraction in the range of periods 32ms to 10⁴ s has been obtained.     

The spectral and temporal variability of the X-ray transient 4U1630-47

We present the results of four observations made by the European Space Agency's EXOSAT Observatory of the X-ray transient 4U1630-47 during its 1984 outburst. We observed marked spectral changes as the source decayed from a maximum observed intensity of 8×10^–9 erg/cm²/sec (1.5–10 keV). The spectrum could be modelled by a soft thermal-like component with a high energy power-law tail. The relative contribution of the soft to hard component decreased as the total luminosity decreased. We compare these changes with those observed from the black hole candidate Cyg X-1 when it transitions from a high to a low state. In addition we report the discovery of short timescale intensity variations (down to 50 msec) with a characteristic timescale of 20 sec. We present a precise position for this unidentified source.on leave from Università di Roma Dipartimento di Fisica G. Marconi.     

Optical observations of serendipitous EXOSAT sources in the Coma Cluster

A 7 hour observation of the central part of the Coma Cluster of galaxies has been performed with the EXOSAT LE telescopes and CMA detectors. Five serendipitous sources are detected within the inner 35 arcmin radius of the field. Optical spectroscopy demonstrates that at least three of these are background AGN not associated with the cluster. At the sensitivity level of the EXOSAT exposure, we would have expected to see only 0.01 background sources based on the Einstein Medium Sensitivity Survey. The EXOSAT and Einstein results may be reconciled if these AGN have a much softer average X-ray spectrum than previously assumed.     

Thermal radiation from a radio pulsar PSR 1055-52

Conclusion The EXOSAT observation of PSR 1055-52 supports strongly the idea of a thermally radiating neutron star, either still cooling from its initially high temperature or reheated by unpinning of vortex lines in its superfluid interior. The data do not confirm the Cheng & Helfand conclusions about a synchrotron nebula with a power law spectrum. The discrepancy in the data is, nevertheless, only a 3.5 effect, as no ME data could be used to get a firm upper limit of the flux above 1 keV. With regard to the outstanding theoretical interest in the structure of neutron stars we hope for further observations to clarify this question.     

The Medium Energy Instrument on Exosat

The Medium Energy Instrument on EXOSAT, although conceived as the main instrument for occultations, has been made sufficiently versatile to provide a significant advance over previous large area proportional counters when used for individual source studies of timing and spectra. The energy range is 1.2 to 50 keV, with E/E of 0.2 at 6 keV, sufficient to detect iron lines. The effective area of 1800 cm² and narrow field of view (3/4° × 3/4°) make it suitable for the detailed study of sources down to the 0.3 mCrab confusion limit. The unique facility provided by EXOSAT, allowing uninterrupted observations of X-ray sources for periods of up to 80 hours, backed up by a high capacity data link and on-board processing, enables timing studies to be performed over the range from milliseconds to days. Sophisticated background discrimination techniques giving a rejection efficiency of99% will control the background count rate to a suitably low value in the environment of the 200,000 km orbit.     

An X-ray study of M51 (NGC 5194) and its companion (NGC 5195)

Observations of NGC 5194/95 with the Einstein HRI show a very strong nuclear X-ray source, surrounded by a diffuse flux, three point sources and the companion. The diffuse flux, which correlates well with the radio continuum, is likely to originate from the disk population with age 2·10⁹ yrs. The large luminosity from the nuclear source, together with optical and radio observations, shows that it belongs to the low luminosity active nuclei, thus extending this class to luminosities less than 10⁴⁰ erg/s.     

Mapping of the Cygnus Loop with EXOSAT

Three 2.10⁴ s observations were carried out with EXOSAT on three fields following the shock from the north to the east of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant. Due to the softness of the source, most of the photons were collected with the LE package (CMA). For each exposure we used at least three filters (4000 Å lexan, Al-Par, boron) in order to extract the maximum spectral information from the data. The few photons gathered with the boron filter are particularly important in that respect. The total count number collected with the other filters allows a statistically significant overall mapping of the fields with 1*1 pixels, but a better resolution can be achieved on the brightest areas of the Loop. Interesting details are revealed, such as bright small spots. Irregularities are also evident both in the shock front and inside the remnant, specially in the northern and eastern fields.     

EXOSAT observations of the bright X-ray source GX9+1

We present the results of the spectral and timing analysis of an observation of GX9+1/4U1758-205 performed with the Medium Energy Experiment aboard EXOSAT. During our observation the source flux varied irregularly in time scales from minutes to hours. No periodic emission in the period range from 16 msec to 2000 sec was found with an upper limit of around 1% (3 ) for the pulsed fraction. The hardness ratio shows a correlated change with the flux intensity (Sco X-1 behaviour). The spectrum could be fitted by a double component model, a black body component (kT=1.16–1.26 keV) together with a thermal bremsstrahlung law (kT=13–15keV). The black-body temperature-black-body flux relation follows a Stefan Boltzmann law with R_BB=15.3 km^*D/10 kpc. No iron line was detected. The upper limit for the line equivalent width of a 6.7 keV iron emission line is 40 eV (1). The X-ray spectral behaviour of GX9+1 indicates, that this source belongs to the class of Low-Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXB).     

X-ray timing and spectral observations of active galactic nuclei

Conclusions X-ray variability is seen in all types of AGN but large amplitude ( factor 2) outbursts on short timescales (days) occur rarely, perhaps once every 100 days. There is no strong dependence of variability on luminosity, but radio-powerful AGN, particularly BL Lacs and 0VV QS0s, do vary most. Sensitive detectors, such as the EXOSAT ME, have been able to detect variability of smaller amplitude (20%) and on shorter timescales (1 hour) than previous experiments, but this too is not common. There is very little evidence of spectral variability during changes in intensity and so it is very likely that such changes are total power variations and not artefacts of variable obscuration. The variability timescales imply that most Seyfert galaxies are emitting well below the Eddington limit. On efficiency considerations only two observations of X-ray variability, those of the QS01525+227 and the BL Lac H0322+022, require exotic black hole models, relativistic beaming, or a change in the assumed value of H₀. The most dramatic observation of variability so far reported, that of repeated variations on a timescale of 4000 seconds in NGC4051 is probably related to a hydrodynamical timescale in the accretion disc and encourages us to believe that, with future observations, our understanding of AGN may approach that of galactic X-ray sources.Many Seyferts do have a canonical =0.7 spectral index, but it is becoming increasingly clear that a wide variety of spectral indices exist, both in Seyfert galaxies and in other classes of AGN. Both thermal and non-thermal emission mechanisms are tenable explanations for most of these spectra as, in general, the very high energy observations which could distinguish between the two are not available.Timing observations rarely require relativistic beaming, however, the (low) observed X-ray fluxes of BL Lacs and 0VV QS0s generally do. reacceleration of particles on short timescales is necessary to explain the continuous infrared to X-ray spectra of BL Lacs.The status of soft excesses in the low energy spectra of Seyfert galaxies which have canonical medium energy spectra is not clear. A separate soft component has been detected in EXOSAT observations of NGC4151 but this need not be associated with the nuclear continuum source. No SSS or EXOSAT observations definitely require such excesses. EXOSAT is, in principle, very sensitive to soft excesses but the uncertainty in the Boron filter calibration and in the value of the galactic absorption at present limit precise determinations.The absorbing column in the direction of many AGN is, in many cases, entirely accountable for purely by absorption in our own galaxy. In cases where a substantial absorbing column is detected, variations in the column are occasionally seen but it is not yet clear whether these variations are due to bulk movements of obscuring material or increased photoionisation (warm absorbers). All observations of iron lines are consistent with fluorescence in a cold gas which probably surrounds the X-ray emitting region in a sphere or shell-type geometry, though (by Gauss' law) this need not necessarily lie immediately next to the central black hole.Detailed observations of the time-variability of the complete X-ray to radio spectrum offer the best hope of further progress in this complex but interesting field.     

The discovery of a 25 min regular modulation in the X-ray flux from 2S0142+61

A 13 hr observation of 2S0142+61 on 1984 August 27 by EXOSAT shows the X-ray flux of 2S0142+61 to be modulated with a period of 1456+/-6 s. The 1–10 keV spectrum is two component with a 0.7 keV thermal and 0.0 energy index power law, with 30% of the total luminosity in the thermal component. The spectrum is absorbed by 1 × 10²² H cm^-2. Only the hard component is pulsed with a 3 to 10 keV peak to mean amplitude of 35%. Below 2 keV the modulation is less than a few percent. The total 1–10 keV luminosity is 3.5 × 1032 erg s^-1 for a distance of 100 pc. Possible optical counterparts are discussed.     

2–10 KeV spectra of Crab-like SNR's as observed by EXOSAT

The EXOSAT ME observations of 3C58 and G21.5-0.9 are presented. The data for these objects is considered in conjunction with the data available from EXOSAT for the Crab-like SNR's Crab and Vela X. The objects have single power law spectra with a range of spectral indices of 0.6 to 1.5, 3C58 and Vela X being similar to the Crab whilst G21.5-0.9 and the source associated with the Vela pulsar have significantly flatter spectra. The derived column density for G21.5-0.9 is consistent with a distance of 5 kpc. The X-ray luminosities and overall electromagnetic spectra of these objects are investigated as age indicators and compared to current model predictions.