Search Publications

A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: II. Properties of the in-Field-Of-View excess component

Tiengo, Andrea; De Luca, Andrea; Marelli, Martino +6 more

We present an accurate characterization of the particle background behaviour on XMM-Newton based on the entire EPIC archive. This corresponds to the largest EPIC data set ever examined. Our results have been obtained thanks to the collaboration between the FP7 European program EXTraS and the ESA R&D ATHENA activity AREMBES. We used as a diagno…

A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: IV. Origin of the unfocused and focused components

Tiengo, A.; Rossetti, M.; Moretti, A. +6 more

We show the results obtained in the FP7 European program EXTraS and in the ESA R&D ATHENA activity AREMBES aimed at a deeper understanding of the XMM-Newton background to better design the ATHENA mission. Thanks to an analysis of the full EPIC archive coupled to the information obtained by the Radiation Monitor we show the cosmic ray origin of…

A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: I. Dataset and extraction procedures

Tiengo, Andrea; De Luca, Andrea; Marelli, Martino +6 more

XMM-Newton is the direct precursor of the future ESA ATHENA mission. A study of its particle-induced background provides therefore significant insight for the ATHENA mission design. We make use of ∼12 years of data, products from the third XMM-Newton catalog as well as FP7 EXTraS project to avoid celestial sources contamination and to disentangle …

A systematic analysis of the XMM-Newton background: III. Impact of the magnetospheric environment

Tiengo, Andrea; De Luca, Andrea; Marelli, Martino +6 more

A detailed characterization of the particle induced background is fundamental for many of the scientific objectives of the Athena X-ray telescope, thus an adequate knowledge of the background that will be encountered by Athena is desirable. Current X-ray telescopes have shown that the intensity of the particle induced background can be highly vari…

The role of the background in past and future X-ray missions

Molendi, Silvano

Background has played an important role in X-ray missions, limiting the exploitation of science data in several and sometimes unexpected ways. In this presentation I review past X-ray missions focusing on some important lessons we can learn from them. I then go on discussing prospects for overcoming background related limitations in future ones.

An XMM-Newton proton response matrix

Molendi, Silvano; Lotti, Simone; Mineo, Teresa +1 more

Soft protons constitute an important source of background in focusing X-ray telescopes, as Chandra and XMM-Newton experience has shown. The optics in fact transmit them to the focal plane with efficiency similar to the X-ray photon one. This effect is a good opportunity to study the environment of the Earth magnetosphere crossed by the X-ray satel…