XMM-Newton observations of Markarian 421
Tiengo, A.; Molendi, S.; Branduardi-Raymont, G.; Boller, Th.; Zane, S.; Brinkmann, W.; Gliozzi, M.; Sembay, S.; Griffiths, R. G.
Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy
Abstract
The BL Lac object Mrk 421 was observed on May 25, 2000 during the XMM-Newton Cal/PV phase. The high throughput of the X-ray telescopes and the spectral capabilities of the instruments allow an uninterrupted temporal and spectral study of the source with unprecedented time resolution. Mrk 421 was found at a relatively high state with a 2-6 keV flux of (1.3-1.9) 10-10 erg cm-2 s-1. The observed intensity variations by more than a factor of three at highest X-ray energies are accompanied by complex spectral variations with only a small time lag (tau = 265+116-102 s) between the hard and soft photons. The (0.2-10) keV spectrum can be well fitted by a broken power law and no absorption structures are found in the source spectrum at the high spectral resolution of the transmission gratings. Based on observations with XMM-Newton, an ESA Science Mission with instruments and contributions directly funded by ESA Member States and the USA (NASA).