XMM-Newton Observation of Solar Wind Charge Exchange Emission

We present an XMM-Newton spectrum of diffuse X-ray emission from within the solar system. The spectrum is dominated by probable C VI lines at 0.37 and 0.46 keV, an O VII line at 0.56 keV, O VIII lines at 0.65 and ~0.8 keV, Ne IX lines at ~0.92 keV, and Mg XI lines at ~1.35 keV. This spectrum is consistent with that expected from charge exchange emission between the highly ionized solar wind and either interstellar neutrals in the heliosphere or material from Earth's exosphere. The emission is clearly seen as a low-energy (E<1.5 keV) spectral enhancement in one of a series of four observations of the Hubble Deep Field-North. The X-ray enhancement is concurrent with an enhancement in the solar wind measured by Advanced Composition Explorer, Wind, and Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft. The solar wind enhancement reaches a flux level an order of magnitude more intense than typical fluxes at 1 AU and has a significantly enhanced O⁺⁷/O⁺⁶ ratio. Besides being of interest in its own right for studies of the solar system, this emission can have significant consequences for observations of cosmological objects. It can provide emission lines at zero redshift, which are of particular interest in studies of diffuse thermal emission (e.g., O VII and O VIII), and which can therefore act as contamination in the spectra of objects that cover the entire detector field of view. We propose the use of solar wind monitoring data as a diagnostic to screen for such possibilities.