scholarly journals The Role of Wide Field X-ray Surveys in Astronomy

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (H16) ◽  
pp. 669-670
Author(s):  
Richard D. Saxton
Keyword(s):  
High Variability ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Clusters Of Galaxies ◽  
Tidal Disruption ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
History Of ◽  
X Ray Background ◽  
Rare Classes

AbstractWe review the history of X-ray sky surveys from the early experiments to the catalogues of 105 sources produced by ROSAT, Chandra and XMM-Newton. At bright fluxes the X-ray sky is shared between stars, accreting binaries and extragalactic sources while deeper surveys are dominated by AGN and clusters of galaxies. The X-ray background, found by the earliest missions, has been largely resolved into discrete sources at soft (0.3-2 keV) energies but at higher energies an important fraction still escapes detection. The possible identification of the missing flux with Compton-thick AGN has been probed in recent years by Swift and Integral.Variability seen in objects observed at different epochs has proved to be an excellent discriminator for rare classes of objects. The comparison of ROSAT All Sky Survey (RASS) and ROSAT pointed observations identified several Novae and high variability AGN as well as initiating the observational study of Tidal Disruption events. More recently the XMM-Newton slew survey, in conjunction with archival RASS data, has detected further examples of flaring objects which have been followed-up in near-real time at other wavelengths.

Extragalactic X-ray sources and the diffuse X-ray background

1979 ◽  
Vol 366 (1726) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Euclidean Space ◽  
Active Galaxies ◽  
Clusters Of Galaxies ◽  
Optical Identification ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Luminosity Functions ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
X Ray Background

Results from the Ariel 5 sky survey instrument relating to the properties and the spatial distribution of extragalactic X-ray sources are discussed. The lg N -lg S relation for sources in the 2A catalogue is consistent with a uniform distribution of sources in Euclidean space. In addition, measure­ments of fluctuations in the X-ray background suggest that the Euclidean form of the source counts can be extrapolated to flux levels at least an order of magnitude fainter than the 2A catalogue limit. Information is also available from the optical identification of 2A sources which, through redshift measurements, enables the X-ray luminosity functions of the two main classes of source, namely clusters of galaxies and active galaxies, to be determined. The luminosity functions can be used to calculate the contribution of clusters of galaxies and active galaxies to the diffuse X-ray background in the 2-10 keV range. It is found that cosmological evolution of one or both populations is required to account for the diffuse X-ray background entirely in terms of the integrated emission from these sources.

scholarly journals A Search for the Signature of the Diffuse Soft X-ray Background in the ROSAT Wide-Field Camera All-Sky Survey

1996 ◽  
Vol 152 ◽  
pp. 289-293
Author(s):  
R.G. West ◽  
R. Willingale ◽  
J.P. Pye ◽  
T.J. Sumner
Keyword(s):  
Charged Particles ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Galactic Latitude ◽  
The Sun ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Cosmic Background ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
Cosmic Abundance ◽  
X Ray Background

We present the results of an attempt to locate the signature of the diffuse soft X-ray background in the ROSAT Wide-Field Camera (WFC) all-sky survey. After removal of non-cosmic background sources (eg. energetic charged particles), the field-of-view integrated count rate in the WFC S1a filter (90–185 eV) shows no consistent variation with Galactic latitude or longitude. We place limits on the signal from the soft X-ray background (SXRB) in the WFC, and show that these limits conflict with the observations of the Wisconsin Sky Survey if the SXRB in this energy range is assumed to be produced by a thermal plasma of cosmic abundance and a temperature T ~ 106 K within d ~ 100 pc of the Sun.

Optical Follow-Up Observations of the ASCA Large Sky Survey

1998 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 465-466
Author(s):  
M. Akiyama ◽  
K. Ohta ◽  
T. Yamada ◽  
Y. Ueda ◽  
T. Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clusters Of Galaxies ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sigma Level ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
X Ray Background ◽  
Band Survey

To reveal the origin of the cosmic X-ray background (CXB) in the hard band, we are now conducting a wide (~ 7 deg2) and deep (~ 1 × 10−13 erg sec−1 cm−2 in the 2-10 keV band) survey with the ASCA (the ASCA Large Sky Survey, hereafter LSS). We have detected 83 sources above 4 sigma level in the 0.7-10 keV band with the GIS and resolved ~30% of the CXB in the 2-10 keV band into discrete sources (Ueda 1996). AGNs (type 1 and type 2) and clusters of galaxies are expected to be major contributers to these X-ray sources.

scholarly journals Tidal disruption events seen in the XMM-Newton slew survey

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S324) ◽  
pp. 123-126
Author(s):  
Richard Saxton ◽  
S. Komossa ◽  
Andrew Read ◽  
Paulina Lira ◽  
Kate D. Alexander ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radio Emission ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Early Phase ◽  
Classical Model ◽  
Thermal Processes ◽  
Tidal Disruption ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Hard Power ◽  
Sky Survey

AbstractXMM-Newton performs a survey of the sky in the 0.2-12 keV X-ray band while slewing between observation targets. The sensitivity in the soft X-ray band is comparable with that of the ROSAT all-sky survey, allowing bright transients to be identified in near real-time by a comparison of the flux in both surveys. Several of the soft X-ray flares are coincident with galaxy nuclei and five of these have been interpreted as candidate tidal disruption events (TDE). The first three discovered had a soft X-ray spectrum, consistent with the classical model of TDE, where radiation is released during the accretion phase by thermal processes. The remaining two have an additional hard, power-law component, which in only one case was accompanied by radio emission. Overall the flares decay with the classical index of t−5/3 but vary greatly in the early phase.

Optical Identification of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Sources in Two 2° × 2° Fields

1997 ◽  
Vol 159 ◽  
pp. 427-428
Author(s):  
Y. Zhao ◽  
J. Zhong ◽  
J. Wei ◽  
J. Hu ◽  
Q. Li
Keyword(s):  
Ccd Camera ◽  
Seyfert Galaxies ◽  
Astronomical Observatory ◽  
Active Galaxies ◽  
Clusters Of Galaxies ◽  
Late Type ◽  
Optical Identification ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Sky Survey

AbstractWe used the CCD camera and spectrograph of the 2.16-m telescope of Beijing Astronomical Observatory to identify the ROSAT All-Sky survey sources in two 2° Ü 2° fields. Of a total of 16 X-ray sources, we identified 13 of them as follows: two QSOs, two Seyfert galaxies, two active galaxies, two clusters of galaxies, and five late-type stars. Three X-ray sources remained unidentified.

scholarly journals Non-Local Origin of a Substantial Portion of the Soft X-Ray Background

1984 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 204-210
Author(s):  
George W. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Column Density ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
General Trend ◽  
Neutral Hydrogen ◽  
Substantial Portion ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Local Origin ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
Non Local ◽  
X Ray Background

Comparison of the SAS-3 soft X-ray sky survey (F. Marshall and G. Clark 1984) with the 21-cm neutral hydrogen survey of Stark et al. (1984) confirms the well-known anticorrelation between the counting rates in the C-band (0.10-0.28 keV) and the column density of neutral hydrogen, and demonstrates that this anticorrelation is significant on all angular scales ranging from that of the general trend from the galactic equator to the poles down to the angular resolution of the detector (2°.7 FWHM). Included in this general anticorrelation are numerous instances of what appear to be soft X-ray “shadows” of nearby (100-300 pc) 21-cm features, and several bright X-ray regions coincident with “holes” in the ISM.

scholarly journals X-ray Constraints on AGN Clustering

1989 ◽  
Vol 134 ◽  
pp. 492-493
Author(s):  
G. De Zotti ◽  
M. Persic ◽  
A. Franceschini ◽  
L. Danese ◽  
G.G.C. Palumbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Space Distribution ◽  
Background Intensity ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
List Type ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Upper Limit ◽  
Angular Scale ◽  
Sky Survey ◽  
The Mean ◽  
X Ray Background

Studies of the HEAO–1 A2 all–sky survey data have established that the level of anisotropy of the extragalactic X–ray background (XRB) is relatively low: –The cell–to–cell XRB intensity variations can be entirely accounted for by Poisson fluctuations in the space distribution of known classes of sources; the 90% confidence upper limit to any additional contribution on a scale of 26 square degrees is 2.3% (Shafer and Fabian 1983).–No significant correlations of XRB intensity fluctuations appear to be present; the formal 90% confidence upper limit on the amplitude of autocorrelations, relative to the mean background intensity, for an angular scale of 3° is Γ(3°) ≤ 1.9 × 10−2 (Persic et al. 1988).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document