Image Gallery: Science Images
Images on this page:Black Holes
Constellation-X simulation of the broad line expected for an AGN having a non-spinning black hole
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A 300 ks Constellation-X simulation of the broad line expected for an AGN having the parameters measured for MCG -6-30-15 (a nearly maximally spinning black hole)
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Constellation-X simulation of the iron line in the time (x-axis)-energy (y-axis) plane including simulated Poisson noise. The spot is the brightest as it approaches the observer because of relativistic beaming. We assume MBH=3 × 107 MSun, disk inclination of 30°, and a flux of 5×10-11 erg cm2 s-1 (2-10 keV), typical of a bright Seyfert 1 galaxy.
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The figure shows the resulting 1, 2, and 3σ confidence contours on black hole spin and hot spot orbital radius that result from a χ2 comparison of a library of theoretical tracks with simulated data. The small cross shows the actual values. We assumed a circular test-particle orbit at a radius of r=2.5GM/c2, dimensionless spin parameter a=0.95, and that 10% of the total iron line flux is contained in the orbiting feature. The Kerr metric can be tested by searching for consistency in the black hole mass and spin between fits to multiple individual tracks.
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Dark Energy
The joint 68% and 95% contours on Ωm and ΩΛ from the current Chandra fgas(z) data (red/pink). Also shown are the constraints from current SNIa data (green; "gold" sample of Riess et al. 2004 combined with 1-year Supernova Legacy Survey data of Astier et al. 2006) and current CMB studies (light blue; WMAP 3-year; Spergel et al. 2007). The inner contours show the predicted constraints from the Constellation-X fgas experiment (orange) and fgas+Planck data (dark blue).
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Current measurements of the evolving cluster mass function based on the Chandra observations of high- and low-z clusters discovered in ROSAT surveys (Vikhlinin et al. 2007). The models are for the "concordance" ΛCDM cosmological model. These data (48 low-z and 40 high-z clusters) provide constraints on the dark energy equation of state parameter, Δω ~ ±0.12, when combined with WMAP.
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Missing Baryons
The X-ray spectrum of Mkn 421 obtained with the RGS on XMM-Newton, with exposure time 509 ks, such an observation will be obtained with Constellation-X in <50 ks. The vicinity around the OVII Ly alpha line shows a high-quality detection of this line near zero redshift, so the absorbing material is either in the Galactic halo or the Local Group medium (Bregman and Lloyd-Davies 2007).
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Predicted number of WHIM filaments as a function of equivalent width from Cen et al. (2006). Abbreviations in the legend include "Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE), and Galactic Superwinds (GSW)."
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Neutron Star Equation of State
The labeled curves show mass-radius (M-R) relations from several different EOS as well as the limits on M and R obtainable with Constellation-X (based on 4U 1636-53, 582 Hz spin frequency; see also Strohmayer 2004). The elliptical confidence regions are derived from fitting the pulse profiles of burst oscillations. The model for the pulsations is an expanding hot spot on the rotating neutron star surface. The contours denote the statistical quality achievable with one burst (the big ellipse), and six bursts (the small ellipse). The dashed diagonal line (labeled z = 0.35) denotes the constraint from centroiding absorption lines, and the solid portion of the line gives an estimate of the accuracy in R from measuring the line widths
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The simulated spectrum of the early phases of the X-ray bursts from the accreting neutron star EXO 0748-676 using the Constellation-X (100 ks observation yields 1 ks of burst time). The blue labeled lines are gravitationally redshifted absorption lines from the neutron star atmosphere. The remaining spectral structure originates in the circumstellar material. The model was developed using the XMM-Newton data and theoretical calculations for the absorption line structure.
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Observatory Science
A composite image (white = optical HST data, blue = Chandra X-ray data, red = radio VLA data) shows the galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421 (z=0.2). There are enormous cavities in the X-ray gas, each roughly 200 kpc in diameter. The red cavities indicate radio emission (VLA). It is believed this structure is created by jets, but currently the lack of spatially-resolved high spectral resolution detectors prevents detailed charaterization of the kinematics of the hot X-ray gas.
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Chandra X-ray image of two SMBH in the nucleus of the galaxy NGC 6240 (Komossa et al. 2003)
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Chandra X-ray spectrum of the southern nucleus in NGC 6240 (the northern nucleus is very similar)
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Simulation of a 500 second observation of a comet using the Constellation-X/XMS. The X-ray emission is due to Charge Exchange between the highly charged solar wind and cometary neutrals. The high spectral resolution and large collecting area of Constellation-X make it possible to uniquely determine the species, charge state, and velocity of the solar wind as well as the spatial and temporal composition, charge state, and density of the cometary coma. This simulation is based on the observed flux and surface brightness of a fairly dim comet, 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3C, at perihelion on June 8, 2006 where it was 0.2 AU from the Earth. Constellation-X will enable routine spatial and temporal observations of the solar wind using short comet observations as well as unparalleled remote diagnostics of the cometary coma. Note that the entire Rydberg series of He-like and H-like C, N, and O transitions are present in the spectrum with the Rydberg series of He-like O6+ labeled as an example.
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