A detailed X-ray investigation of ζ Puppis. I. The dataset and some preliminary results
Abstract
Aims: One of the closest and brightest massive stars, ζ Puppis, was the first early-type object observed by the current generation of X-ray observatories. These observations provided some surprising results, partly confirming the theoretical predictions while simultaneously unveiling some problematic mismatches with expectations. In this series of papers, we perform a thorough study of ζ Puppis in X-rays, using a decade of XMM-Newton observations.
Methods: The star ζ Puppis was observed 18 times by XMM-Newton, totaling 1 Ms in exposure. This provides the highest quality high-resolution X-ray spectrum of a massive star to date, as well as a perfect dataset for studying X-ray variability in an "archetype" object.
Results: This first paper reports on the data reduction of this unique dataset and provides a few preliminary results. On the one hand, analysis of EPIC low-resolution spectra shows the star to have a remarkably stable X-ray emission from one observation to the next. On the other hand, fitting by a wind model of individual line profiles recorded by RGS confirms the wavelength dependence of the line morphology.
- Publication:
-
Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Pub Date:
- February 2012
- DOI:
- 10.1051/0004-6361/201117387
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1112.0862
- Bibcode:
- 2012A&A...538A..22N
- Keywords:
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- X-rays: stars;
- stars: early-type;
- stars: individual:ζPuppis;
- stars: mass-loss;
- Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics;
- Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication by A&