NuSTAR Bringing the High Energy Universe into Focus

 

NuSTAR GO Large Proposals

A total of up to 2 Ms of NuSTAR observing time is allocated to the Large Program category in each General Observer (GO) cycle. This program was initiated in GO cycle-5 to improve the chance of selection of investigations requiring a significant investment of NuSTAR observing time. Large program proposals require a minimum total exposure time of 500 ks and so up to four proposals can be selected in this category each year.

The table below lists the Large Program proposals selected in NuSTAR GO cycles since 2019 and will be updated when selections are announced each year.

Additional information about proposing for NuSTAR observing time is presented in the For Proposers page and also on the NuSTAR HEASARC website.

Last updated: 2023-09-19

 

NuSTAR GO Large Program
Cycle Proposal PI Total Exposure
[ks]
Proposal Title
5 5192 Civano 585 Deep NuSTAR observations of the JWST-NEP time domain field
5197 Marchesi 500 The Compton thick AGN legacy project: A complete sample of NuSTAR-observed nearby Compton thick AGN
5213 Tomsick 500 Monitoring a bright outburst from a black hole transient
5220 Nowak 500 Revealing the relation between hard and soft quiescent X-ray spectra in Cen X-4
6 6044 Bianchi 610 Building subways: The NuSTAR line
6109 Wik 604 Accurate galaxy cluster temperatures: A legacy dataset with Chandra, XMM, and XRISM
6218 Civano 780 Deep NuSTAR observations of the JWST-NEP time domain field: Long term monitoring
6224 Mori 450 NuSTAR hard X-ray survey of pulsar wind nebulae in synergy with TeV gamma-ray telescopes
7 7084 Fabian 500 A deep spectral-timing study of the X-ray bright AGN 1H 1934-063
7103 Hornschemeier 742 The birth of black-holes and neutron stars in starbursts: A legacy for NuSTAR building on a HST treasury program
7117 Zoglauer 600 Monitoring the hard X-ray evolution of the young SNR G1.9-0.3 and improving the NuSTAR upper limits of its 44Ti emission
8 8170 Zhao 600 Constraining the properties of AGN coronae using a sample of luminous, high-redshift quasars with NuSTAR
8173 Paliya 550 The quest for elusive cosmic monsters
8180 Civano 855 The first time domain NuSTAR and JWST survey
9 9182 Zhao 500 Systematically constraining the AGN coronal properties with NuSTAR using a sample of luminous, high-redshift quasars
9227 Fritze 825 All the luminous X-ray binaries in M31: Hard X-ray demographics and binary population synthesis applications
9267 Civano 900 Time-domain studies in the NEP field with NuSTAR and JWST

 


GO cycle-5 (2019-2020)

Proposal: 5192          PI: Francesca Civano

Title: DEEP NUSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF THE JWST-NEP TIME DOMAIN FIELD

Abstract: The JWST Deep Time-Domain Field in the north ecliptic pole (NEP DTDF) is a GTO target that will have continuous visibility and excellent 8-band deep (m~28) imaging and grism spectra in the NIR by JWST. In the past few years, the NEP DTDF has grown into a comprehensive survey with deep radio to X-ray data, becoming the most promising new field for extragalactic studies and time-domain investigations. We propose to perform a 585 ks NuSTAR survey in this field, reaching a sensitivity comparable to the deepest NuSTAR extragalactic surveys, detecting 20-30 sources in 3-24 keV, to focus on: X-ray variability (3-8 keV monitoring and the first 8-24 keV studies!), the true obscured AGN fraction, 0.5-24 keV spectroscopy combining NuSTAR and Chandra, and the bright NLSy1 in the field.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60511001 NEP DTDF MOS01 260.872759 +65.822064 65 74.7
60511002 NEP DTDF MOS02 260.772712 +65.822000 65 77.9
60511003 NEP DTDF MOS03 260.636017 +65.824567 65 69.9
60511004 NEP DTDF MOS04 260.541637 +65.907081 65 91.6
60511005 NEP DTDF MOS05 260.731446 +65.873647 65 85.0
60511006 NEP DTDF MOS06 260.907954 +65.906736 65 84.2
60511007 NEP DTDF MOS07 260.528333 +65.765697 65 66.3
60511008 NEP DTDF MOS08 260.754646 +65.748275 65 70.7
60511009 NEP DTDF MOS09 260.950796 +65.745561 65 68.8

 

Proposal: 5197      PI: Stefano Marchesi

Title:  THE COMPTON THICK AGN LEGACY PROJECT: A COMPLETE SAMPLE OF NUSTAR-OBSERVED NEARBY COMPTON THICK AGN

Abstract:  The X-ray spectral analysis of Compton thick (CT-, i.e., having intrinsic obscuration NH>1E24 cm^-2) active galactic nuclei (AGN) is key to understand the physics of the obscuring material surrounding accreting supermassive black holes. We propose to target with a combined NuSTAR/XMM-Newton observation the last 10 candidate CT-AGN the BAT 100-month survey still lacking of NuSTAR data. With this proposal, each CT-AGN candidate of this sample will have a NuSTAR observation, thus enabling the best characterization to date of CT-AGN. Thanks to the excellent statistics (both in terms of spectral counts and sample size) we will study the sample physical properties, and put tighter constraints on the true intrinsic fraction of CT-AGN in the nearby Universe and on their contribution to the CXB.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60561038 ESO112-G006 7.68263 -59.00719 50 56.0
60561039 MGC 07-03-007 16.36175 -42.21619 50 54.7
60561040 ESO426-G002 95.94342 -32.21658 50 52.5
60561041 LEDA 478026 104.04983 -49.33056 50 55.5
60561042 Mrk 622 121.921 +39.00422 50 54.2
60561043 ESO565-G019 143.6815 -21.92781 50 50.4
60561044 NGC 3081 149.87308 -22.82628 50 55.6
60561045 ESO323-G032 193.33467 -41.63564 50 98.1
60561046 NGC 6552 270.03012 +66.61511 50 48.6
60561047 CGCG 475-040 346.95362 +22.71028 50 55.8

 

Proposal: 5213      PI: John Tomsick

Title:  MONITORING A BRIGHT OUTBURST FROM A BLACK HOLE TRANSIENT

Abstract:  Much of our understanding of the properties of accretion disks, relativistic jets, and the regions of strong gravity near black holes (BHs) come from observations of BH X-ray binaries. NuSTAR has made significant contributions to these studies especially through improved measurements of reflection components that have allowed us to access the inner disk and constrain the spins of BHs. Recently, comparisons between BH spins in X-ray binaries and in binary BH mergers have further increased the level of interest in BH spins, and a main focus of this proposal is to improve assessments of the uncertainties in BH spin measurements. We propose to do this by monitoring a bright BH transient with NuSTAR to systematically quantify the effect of the changing continuum on the BH spin measurement.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
80502324 MAXI J0637-430 99.09828 -42.86780 10x50 8 exposures, total 473.7 (514.8 GTI)

 

Proposal: 5220      PI: Michael Nowak

Title:  REVEALING THE RELATION BETWEEN HARD AND SOFT QUIESCENT X-RAY SPECTRA IN CEN X-4

Abstract:  We propose a campaign of joint NuSTAR and NICER observations of the quiescent neutron star Cen X-4, to study the relationship between its soft X-ray flux level and its hard X-ray spectrum. The hard X-ray spectrum has been hypothesized to be due to thermal bremsstrahlung from active accretion onto the neutron star, and may transit to synchrotron emission at low flux. If the bremsstrahlung/active accretion hypothesis is correct, we should be able to measure spectral changes with our proposed campaign.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
30502024 Cen X-4 224.59142 -31.66875 10x50 9 exposures, total 469.6

GO cycle-6 (2020-2021)

Proposal: 6044      PI: Stefano Bianchi

Title:  BUILDING SUBWAYS: THE NUSTAR LINE

Abstract:  A Large Program (1.58 Ms) has been granted in XMM-Newton AO18 and 27 orbits have been awarded in HST Cycle 27 to study Supermassive Black Hole Winds in X-rays (SUBWAYS), designed to provide direct support on feedback models by deriving constraints on the energetics and duty cycle of Ultra-Fast Outflows (UFOs) in Active Galactic Nuclei. We ask now for NuSTAR observations of the 20 SUBWAYS sources (630 ks) without archival NuSTAR data. The availability of NuSTAR data above 10 keV is crucial for the objectives of SUBWAYS, and will maximise the outcome of this ambitious Large Program. The proposed observations represent a fundamental step to maintain NuSTAR science upfront during the next decade in the physically motivated investigation of multi-phase outflows.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60661001 PG0052+251 13.71717 +25.4275 20 24.4
60661002 PG1416-129 214.76592 -13.17908 20 20.6
60661004 PG1626+554 246.98383 +55.37542 20 21.5
60661005 PG1435-067 219.56733 -6.97236 20 21.1
60661006 SDSS J144414d66+0633 221.06113 +6.55189 25 27.4
60661007 PG1216+069 184.83721 +6.64403 26 31.9
60661008 PG0947+396 147.70163 +39.44736 28 23.8
60661009 WISEJ053756d30-02451 84.48475 -2.75344 29 32.3
60661010 HB891529+050 233.12 +4.89956 29 30.3
60661011 PG1114+445 169.27667 +44.22592 29 32.9
60661012 PG1307+085 197.44583 +8.33006 31 35.1
60661013 PG1425+267 216.89837 +26.53736 33 34.4
60661014 PG1352+183 208.64871 +18.08819 33 32.5
60661015 2MASX J10514428+3539 162.93433 +35.65856 35 36.8
60661016 HB891257+286 195.09242 +28.40075 38 41.5
60661017 2MASX J14025121+2631 210.71337 +26.52158 40 42.0
60661018 2MASX J02201453-0728 35.06075 -7.48314 48 39.9
60661019 PG1427+480 217.42946 +47.79061 53 51.8
60661020 LBQS1338-0038 205.30804 -0.8875 53 51.7

 

Proposal: 6109      PI: Daniel Wik

Title:  ACCURATE GALAXY CLUSTER TEMPERATURES: A LEGACY DATASET WITH CHANDRA, XMM, AND XRISM

Abstract:  Galaxy clusters are the most massive virialized objects in the universe, and their growth over cosmic time is sensitive to the underlying cosmology. Cluster cosmology requires accurate mass measurements, which generally depend on temperature measurements. Unfortunately, the main sources for X-ray temperatures are Chandra and XMM, which systematically disagree with each other. The hard band sensitivity of NuSTAR, however, has the potential to resolve this discrepancy and reduce the error budget on cluster-derived cosmological parameters. We propose deep observations of 4 low redshift, relaxed clusters, with extensive XMM and Chandra (and future XRISM) data, where both calibration and physical differences can be assessed in the simplest possible systems.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
70660001 ABELL 2029 227.7412 +5.7596 100 101.7
70660002 ABELL 478 63.3505 +10.4512 220 98.8, 123.0
70660003 ABELL 1795 207.20527 +26.57916 146 100.8, 52.9
70660004 ABELL 2199 247.1556 +39.5361 138 85.6, 52.5

 

Proposal: 6218      PI: Francesca Civano

Title:  DEEP NUSTAR OBSERVATIONS OF THE JWST-NEP TIME DOMAIN FIELD: LONG TERM MONITORING

Abstract:  The JWST Deep Time-Domain Field in the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP DTDF) is a GTO target that will have continuous visibility and 8-band deep imaging and grism spectra in the NIR by JWST. In the past few years, the NEP DTDF has grown into a comprehensive survey with deep radio to X-ray data, becoming the most promising new field for extragalactic studies and time-domain investigations. Given interesting results from Cycle 5 NuSTAR program, we request 780 ks for long term monitoring of the NEP DTDF, split into 4 epochs (spaced before and after JWST launch over 2 NuSTAR cycles), enabling studies of hard X-ray variability, 0.3-24 keV spectroscopy through simultaneous XMM observations, the faint end of the AGN luminosity function at >8 keV, the obscured AGN fraction, and a bright NLSy1 at z> 1.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60666001 NEP DTDF MOS0601 260.6348107 +65.8982512 65 72.8
60666002 NEP DTDF MOS0602 260.6373792 +65.7978818 65 71.9
60666003 NEP DTDF MOS0603 260.8655600 +65.8335592 65 72.7
60666004 NEP DTDF MOS0604 260.6348107 +65.8982512 65 77.7
60666005 NEP DTDF MOS0605 260.6373792 +65.7978818 65 77.8
60666006 NEP DTDF MOS0606 260.8655600 +65.8335592 65 80.4
60666007 NEP DTDF MOS0607 260.6348107 +65.8982512 65 78.9
60666008 NEP DTDF MOS0608 260.6373792 +65.7978818 65 59.7
60666009 NEP DTDF MOS0609 260.8655600 +65.8335592 65 62.6
60666010 NEP DTDF MOS0610 260.6348107 +65.8982512 65 81.3
60666011 NEP DTDF MOS0611 260.6373792 +65.7978818 65 83.8
60666012 NEP DTDF MOS0612 260.8655600 +65.8335592 65 86.1
60666013 NEP DTDF MOS0613 260.487567 +65.705787 65 74.6
60666014 NEP DTDF MOS0614 260.699567 +65.822650 65 43.4
60666015 NEP DTDF MOS0615 261.015442 +65.725357 65 64.9

 

Proposal: 6224      PI: Kaya Mori

Title:  NUSTAR HARD X-RAY SURVEY OF PULSAR WIND NEBULAE IN SYNERGY WITH TEV GAMMA-RAY TELESCOPES

Abstract:  The proposal seeks a unique opportunity to collect legacy NuSTAR data and explore pulsar wind nebula (PWN) astrophysics at the deepest level through multi-wavelength SEDs, in synergy with the existing and near-future TeV gamma-ray telescopes. NuSTAR observations of 8 additional PWNe will complete the sampling of all 22 TeV-PWNe detectable by NuSTAR. Our targets includes PWNe detected by HAWC above 50 TeV, PWNe crushed by reverse SNR shocks, a young PWN in the Galactic Center and the archetype Vela nebula. Some of the nebulae may contain a hadronic outflow which produces TeV gamma-rays via interacting with the ISM or dense clouds. NuSTAR can probe sub-PeV electron populations through X-ray synchrotron spectra and allow us to perform spectro-imaging studies of PWNe above 10 keV.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
40660001 PSR J2229+6114 337.272 +61.23592 50 45.4
40660002 PSR J1420-6048 215.03412 -60.80411 70 65.0
40660003 PSR J1418-6058 214.678 -60.96719 80 74.0
40660004 PSR J2021+3651 305.2725 +36.85125 60 61.1
40660005 PSR J1849-0001 282.25762 -0.02197 60 56.8
40660006 PSR J1357-6429 209.2605 -64.49164 80 92.6
40660007 CXO J174722.8-280915 266.845 -28.15417 50 53.7

GO cycle-7 (2021-2022)

Proposal: 7084      PI: Andrew Fabian

Title:  A DEEP SPECTRAL-TIMING STUDY OF THE X-RAY BRIGHT AGN 1H 1934-063

Abstract:  NuSTAR can make a transformational advance in our understanding of how luminous accreting black holes work through long observations of rapidly-variable, X-ray-bright AGN. This enables X-ray reverberation studies, already a commonplace feature of AGN, to proceed to the next level and follow the behavior of the powerful dynamic corona and map the accretion flow immediately next to the black hole, measuring both spin and mass of the black hole. We propose a 500ks NuSTAR observation of the X-ray brightest high variability NLS1 AGN 1H1934-063, with 260ks of XMM, to measure relativistic reflection and reverberation in 3 flux states.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60702018 1H 1934-063 294.3875 -6.218 200 + 2x150 5 exposures, total 568.7

 

Proposal: 7103      PI: Ann Hornschemeier

Title:  THE BIRTH OF BLACK HOLES AND NEUTRON STARS IN STARBURSTS: A LEGACY FOR NUSTAR BUILDING ON A HST TREASURY PROGRAM

Abstract:  Understanding the emission from X-ray binaries in high-redshift galaxies is of utmost importance to understanding the heating of the primordial IGM. This program, to observe five starbursting, High Mass X-ray Binary (HMXB)-dominated galaxies, for a total of 1.49 Ms with NuSTAR and 207 ks with XMM-Newton, will provide a representative sample of starburst galaxies for establishing the connection between the 12-25~keV emission arising from neutron star and black hole populations and their host galaxy properties that is highly relevant to high-z galaxies. We will double the number of HMXB-dominated galaxies with measured 0.5-30~keV Spectral Energy Distributions, so we may correctly interpret high-z galaxies' X-ray emission where we only sample the rest-frame hard X-ray emission.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
50760001 NGC 4656 190.964833 +32.146978 173 168.2
50760002 NGC 4449 187.002833 +44.074889 273 275.6
50760003 NGC 4490 187.591500 +41.638778 296 303.9

 

Proposal: 7117      PI: Andreas Zoglauer

Title:  MONITORING THE HARD X-RAY EVOLUTION OF THE YOUNG SNR G1.9+0.3 AND IMPROVING THE NUSTAR UPPER LIMITS OF ITS 44TI EMISSION

Abstract:  With an age of roughly 110 years, G1.9+0.3 is the youngest known supernova remnant in the Milky Way. It is also one of the few remnants in our Galaxy whose evolution we can monitor and which show evidence for emission from the 44-Ti decay chain. We propose to observe G1.9+0.3 for 600 ks. This will allow us to identify changes of spectrum, flux, and morphology between the original NuSTAR observation from 2013 and now in the hard X-ray band. In addition, this observation will significantly improve the upper limits of the 44-Ti emission, and deeply probe the uncertainty range of a potential detection of 44-Ti by Chandra, and, in the case emission is confirmed, enable its characterization. With its unique hard X-ray capabilities, only NuSTAR can carry out these observations.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
40702003 G1.9+0.3 267.192 -27.16414 600 600.0

GO cycle-8 (2022-2023)

Proposal: 8170      PI: Xiurui Zhao

Title:  CONSTRAINING THE PROPERTIES OF AGN CORONAE USING A SAMPLE OF LUMINOUS, HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASARS WITH NUSTAR

Abstract:  The primary X-ray emission observed in AGN is believed to be produced from a tiny region surrounding the SMBH, namely the corona. A critical coronal compactness versus temperature threshold is predicted above which any increase in the source luminosity would then generate positron-electron pairs rather than continue heating the coronal plasma. Current observations show that all local AGNs populate the region below this critical line. However, these models have rarely been probed in the high-luminosity regime where the tightest constraints can be made on the coronal models. Here, we propose four high-luminosity quasars (z~1-2) to more than double the current sample size of high-luminosity quasars to further constrain the coronal models and thus better understand the physics of coronae.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60861001 WISEA J122527+223512 186.36417 +22.58694 150 148.9
60861002 HB89 0945+436 147.14983 +43.38406 150 82.2, 87.3
60861003 SBS 0909+531 138.2545 +52.99133 150 55.6, 97.8
60861004 HB89 1257+346 194.95329 +34.38961 150 71.2, 85.3

 

Proposal: 8173      PI: Vaidehi Paliya

Title:  THE QUEST FOR ELUSIVE COSMIC MONSTERS

Abstract:  We propose joint XMM and NuSTAR observations of 12 high-redshift (z > 3) blazars which exhibit brightest and flattest X-ray spectra and host massive (>1e9 Msun) black holes. Joint Xmm and NuSTAR observations will lead to the most accurate estimation of the beaming factor which will allow us to put stringent constraint on the space density of blazar parent population, and in turn, the evolution of massive black holes in jetted AGNs within the first two billion years. Using XMM+NuSTAR data, we will also probe the role played by the intergalactic medium in the X-ray absorption towards high-redshift blazars.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60862001 IGR J12319-0749 187.99038 -7.78831 20 21.4
60862002 PMN J1458+0855 224.52488 +8.92497 20 19.0, 24.2
60862003 BZQ J1445+0958 221.31867 +9.97675 38 41.4
60862004 BZQ J0915+0007 138.96542 +0.12028 40 42.5
60862005 GB6 B0850+2442 133.238 +24.51756 45 50.2
60862006 BZQ J0624+3856 96.07925 +38.94686 47 51.9
60862007 BZQ J0810+3847 122.5415 +38.79919 50 48.5
60862008 BZU J0525-3343 81.27575 -33.71822 55 61.7
60862009 BZQ J1100-4249 165.20937 -42.82008 57 63.7
60862010 BZQ J1658-0739 254.68358 -7.65492 58 55.9
60862011 BZQ J1413+4505 213.32867 +45.08972 60 64.9
60862012 BZQ J2050+3127 312.71304 +31.45761 60 63.3

 

Proposal: 8180      PI: Francesca Civano

Title:  THE FIRST TIME DOMAIN NUSTAR AND JWST SURVEY

Abstract:  The JWST Deep Time-Domain Field in the NEP (NEP DTDF) is a GTO target that will have excellent 8-band deep (m~28) imaging and grism spectra in the NIR by JWST and already has exquisite multiwavelength data. As JWST is now at its L2 location, the NEP observations are planned to start in June/July and will repeat every 90 days. Given the interesting results from Cycle 5+6 NuSTAR programs, we request 855 ks (3 epochs simultaneous with JWST) for monitoring the NEP in the hard band to focus on variability, 0.3-24 keV spectroscopy through simultaneous XMM observations, the faint end of the AGN population at >8 keV, the obscured fraction, and a variable z>1 FSRQ. Combining Cycle 5+6+8 data, we will get the deepest NuSTAR survey, with 65-70 sources in 3-24 keV, and ~20 single epoch detections.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60810001 NEP DTDF MOS08001 260.935402 +66.033138 95 113.9
60810002 NEP DTDF MOS08002 260.403538 +65.997063 95 113.7
60810003 NEP DTDF MOS08003 260.751245 +65.808505 95 112.9
60810004 NEP DTDF MOS08004 260.751250 +65.808506 95 119.1
60810005 NEP DTDF MOS08005 261.079708 +65.835539 95 117.0
60810006 NEP DTDF MOS08006 260.310583 +65.813442 95 106.3
60810007 NEP DTDF MOS08007 260.487583 +65.705778 95 73.9
60810008 NEP DTDF MOS08008 261.019500 +65.739278 95 73.1
60810009 NEP DTDF MOS08009 260.744667 +65.809583 95 71.2

GO cycle-9 (2023-2024)

Proposal: 9182      PI: Xiurui Zhao

Title:  SYSTEMATICALLY CONSTRAINING THE AGN CORONAL PROPERTIES WITH NUSTAR USING A SAMPLE OF LUMINOUS, HIGH-REDSHIFT QUASARS

Abstract:  The X-ray emission from AGN is believed to be generated from the tiny region surrounding the SMBH, namely the corona. The cutoff energy in the AGN X-ray spectrum (at a few hundred keV) can be used to probe the coronal properties. However, only lower limits to the cutoff energy of low-redshift AGN were measured due to the limited bandpass (up to 80 keV). High-z quasars, instead, are the best targets to constrain the cutoff energy thanks to the cosmological redshifting. So far, only four z>1 quasars have their cutoff energy constrained. Here, we propose other four z>1 quasars to increase the current sample size to statistically constrain the AGN coronal properties and thus better understand the physics of coronal Comptonization.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60961001 WISE J1634+7031 248.62083 +70.52567 80 80.6
60961002 SDSS J09217+2854 140.3145 +28.91231 110  
60961003 WISEA J1458+5254 224.70263 +52.91403 150  
60961004 WISEA J1233+1612 188.43117 +16.20417 160  

 

Proposal: 9227      PI: Hannah Fritze

Title:  ALL THE LUMINOUS X-RAY BINARIES IN M31: HARD X-RAY DEMOGRAPHICS AND BINARY POPULATION SYNTHESIS APPLICATIONS

Abstract:  The X-ray Luminosity Function (XLF) of a galaxy can be linked to a variety of different galaxy characteristics. In addition, studies of accreting black hole and neutron star populations can provide insights into the history of star formation and evolution in a galaxy because they are directly connected to past, current, and future stellar populations through binary synthesis modeling. As our nearest Milky Way-type neighbor, M31 is an excellent laboratory for learning about our own galaxy. We propose an observation of nine fields in the disc of M31 totaling 825 ks to obtain complete coverage of all high luminosity sources in the hard band, allowing us to characterize the hard and full band XLFs and classify 20-60 sources for use in binary population demographics and binary synthesis models.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
50910001 M31 FIELD L 10.70762 +40.87503 120  
50910002 M31 FIELD M 10.56954 +40.68833 120  
50910003 M31 FIELD N 10.31196 +40.97825 120  
50910004 M31 FIELD O 10.09221 +40.53375 120  
50910005 M31 FIELD P 10.05775 +40.7795 120  
50910006 M31 FIELD Q 9.62058 +40.28611 120  
50910007 M31 FIELD R 10.61825 +41.43383 35  
50910008 M31 FIELD S 11.82512 +42.32481 35 45.9
50910009 M31 FIELD T 11.37233 +42.19325 35 47.7

 

Proposal: 9267      PI: Francesca Civano

Title:  TIME-DOMAIN STUDIES IN THE NEP FIELD WITH NUSTAR AND JWST

Abstract:  The JWST Time-Domain Field in the NEP (NEP) is a GTO target currently being observed every 90 days (4 epochs) with JWST NIRCAM and NIRISS. The NEP has exquisite multiwavelength data. NuSTAR+XMM (Cycle 8) are currently observing it simultaneously with JWST. In JWST Cycle 2, a new proposal to observe the NEP for 2 more years has been submitted. Given the interesting results from NuSTAR Cycle 5+6+8, we request 900 ks (4 epochs) for continuing to monitor the NEP in the hard X-ray band simultaneously with JWST: this dataset will be unique for X-ray-NIR time-domain studies. This additional monitoring will allow studies of AGN variability, 0.3-24 keV spectroscopy through simultaneous XMM observations, the faint end of the AGN population at >8 keV, and the obscured fraction.

ObsID Target J2000 [deg] Planned
Exp [ks]
Total
Exp [ks]
60910001 NEPTDF1 POS1 261.118498 +66.029567 75 97.3
60910002 NEPTDF1 POS2 260.701531 +66.030189 75 77.4
60910003 NEPTDF1 POS3 260.280702 +66.029166 75 74.1

(more survey fields will be observed in cycle-9)