Accepted Cycle 17 Archive Proposals

Proposal Number	Subject Category	PI Name	Title
17100451	SOLAR SYSTEM	Ralph Kraft	A Chandra archival study of the temporal evolution of the Jovian aurora
17200468	STARS AND WD	David Cohen	Phase-resolved Chandra grating analysis of the prototype magnetic O star theta1 Ori C
17200592	STARS AND WD	Vinay Kashyap	WHERE THE LINES ARE
17400168	BH AND NS BINARIES	Slavko Bogdanov	Deep Archival Study of the Rich Globular Cluster Terzan 5
17400219	BH AND NS BINARIES	Felix Fuerst	Wind characteristics in the Chandra HMXB sample
17400241	BH AND NS BINARIES	Lia Corrales	A Survey of ISM Absorption and Scattering for Better Models of X-ray Binaries
17500102	SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS	Una Hwang	WAVE PROPAGATION AT OBLIQUE SNR SHOCKS: THE MAXIMUM COSMIC RAY ENERGY
17500641	SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS	Bettina Posselt	Neutron star cooling and the calibration of the ACIS Graded mode
17610242	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	Beverly Smith	The Evolution of Hot Gas in Galaxy Mergers
17620249	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Jimmy Irwin	Rapid, Giant X-ray Flares From Extragalactic Globular Clusters
17620679	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Francesca Fornasini	Investigating the metallicity dependence of high-mass X-ray binaries with a sample of z~2 galaxies
17700500	ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS	Daniel Harris	Extragalactic X-ray Jets
17700504	ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS	Keigo Fukumura	X-RAY TOMOGRAPHY OF THE MHD WINDS OF AGN AND XRB
17800567	CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES	John Mulchaey	Groups of Galaxies in the CDFS
17800702	CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES	Alisha Kundert	Characterizing fossil systems in the Chandra archive
17800729	CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES	Anja von der Linden	Precision Cosmology with the Less Luminous Galaxy Clusters
17900118	EXTRAGALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION AND SURVEYS	Alexander Kashlinsky	Early black holes signatures as traced by Chandra, an heritage program.
17900135	EXTRAGALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION AND SURVEYS	Massimiliano Bonamente	Temperature, metal abundance and cosmological density of the WHIM from FUV and X-ray absorption lines

Subject Category: SOLAR SYSTEM

Proposal Number: 17100451

Title: A Chandra archival study of the temporal evolution of the Jovian aurora

PI Name: Ralph Kraft

We propose a study of the archival Chandra observations of Jupiter to determine the origin of ions responsible for the X-ray auroras. As part of our recent coordinated Chandra/HRC observations of Jupiter with the Japanese Hisaki mission, we found that the locations of the X-ray events from the auroras map to the noon and dusk sectors of the magnetosphere and magnetopause. We will extend this analysis for all Chandra/HRC and ACIS observations of Jupiter and correlate the variation of apex points with Solar wind conditions to conclusively determine whether the ions originate from Io or from the Solar wind.

Subject Category: STARS AND WD

Proposal Number: 17200468

Title: Phase-resolved Chandra grating analysis of the prototype magnetic O star theta1 Ori C

PI Name: David Cohen

Overluminous in X-rays by an order of magnitude compared to non-magnetic O stars, theta1 Ori C (O7V) is the prototype magnetic massive star, and the star that powers the Orion Nebula. We propose to carefully extract and decontaminate the HETGS grating spectra in 14 pointed, archival Chandra observations of this star. We will apply temperature, line-ratio, and line-width diagnostics - all as a function of phase for this star with its rotationally modulated, tilted dipole magnetosphere. The exquisite Chandra grating data, with nearly 100 measurable spectral emission lines spanning a wide range of temperatures, will provide information about the shock physics and the spatial distribution of the hot plasma in this classic magnetically channeled wind shock X-ray source.

Subject Category: STARS AND WD

Proposal Number: 17200592

Title: WHERE THE LINES ARE

PI Name: Vinay Kashyap

We propose a program to analyze archival data of cool stars obtained with Chandra gratings. Our primary objective is to measure locations of weak spectral lines in coadded spectra and compare them with compilations of atomic lines such as CHIANTI and AtomDB. We will also measure relative intensities of lines for a variety of plasma temperatures. This will help us assess the completeness of atomic line databases and the accuracy of theoretical calculations of line intensities, and point out where future efforts should be concentrated. When complete, our program will generate a comprehensive atlas of detectable X-ray coronal and transition region lines spanning two orders of magnitude in wavelength.

Subject Category: BH AND NS BINARIES

Proposal Number: 17400168

Title: Deep Archival Study of the Rich Globular Cluster Terzan 5

PI Name: Slavko Bogdanov

We propose an investigation of the vast archival Chandra data set of the globular cluster Terzan 5. With the ~18x increase in exposure compared to the last source population study of this cluster we will: (1) update the catalog of X-ray point sources in Terzan 5; (2) improve the spectral parameters of the brightest sources; (3) perform a census of quiescent neutron star low-mass X-ray binaries (qLMXBs) with thermal radiation, including a search for a separate population of helium-atmosphere qLMXBs; (4) study any X-ray counterparts to the 35 radio millisecond pulsars in this cluster; (5) investigate X-ray source variability on time scales up to 14 years, particularly looking for temperature variability in the qLMXB thermal components.

Subject Category: BH AND NS BINARIES

Proposal Number: 17400219

Title: Wind characteristics in the Chandra HMXB sample

PI Name: Felix Fuerst

High-Mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) are powered by accretion from the dense stellar wind of their optical companion. Understanding the stellar wind is therefore paramount to understand the luminosity and spectral variability of the X-ray source. We know that the accreted medium is highly structured, due to a combination of a clumpy stellar wind and the influence of the compact object. Detailed modeling of high-resolution X-ray spectra with clumpy wind models, however, is missing. Here, we propose to re-analyze five purely wind-accreting neutron star HMXBs with the latest state-of-the-art wind models, obtaining a uniform sample to study the structure and physical conditions of the accreted medium.

Subject Category: BH AND NS BINARIES

Proposal Number: 17400241

Title: A Survey of ISM Absorption and Scattering for Better Models of X-ray Binaries

PI Name: Lia Corrales

X-ray scattering through dust in the interstellar medium (ISM) contributes significantly to the extinction for sources with NH > 10^22 cm^-2 and is not part of standard ISM absorption models like phabs and TBabs. This additional ISM extinction term must be included in models of spectra from any instrument with sub-arcminute scale resolution, which includes Chandra, XMM, and Swift. We propose to use a few dozen imaged X-ray scattering halos present in the Chandra archive to study the relationships between ISM column, dust scattering optical depth, and metallicity that are essential for understanding the intrinsic spectrum and physics of X-ray binaries.

Subject Category: SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS

Proposal Number: 17500102

Title: WAVE PROPAGATION AT OBLIQUE SNR SHOCKS: THE MAXIMUM COSMIC RAY ENERGY

PI Name: Una Hwang

We propose a Chandra archive project to follow up on a new model by Laming (2015) for the synchrotron stripes reported by Eriksen et al. (2011) in Tycho's SNR. The model, which explains the stripes as arising from the evolution of the circular polarization of Alfvenic waves as they pass through the shock, makes the testable prediction that the stripes will show observable changes in their projected position during the course of several years. We will use2003 and 2009 observations of Tycho to characterize the observed displacements in stripe position. We will also evaluate the possible presence or absence of such features in other young SNRs. The observed separation of the stripes allows a direct measurement of the maximum cosmic ray ion energy at the SNR shock front.

Subject Category: SN, SNR AND ISOLATED NS

Proposal Number: 17500641

Title: Neutron star cooling and the calibration of the ACIS Graded mode

PI Name: Bettina Posselt

The cooling of the Central Compact Object (CCO) in the Cassiopeia A SNR is of great importance to neutron star and fundamental physics. Different setups and modes of the ACIS instrument (Graded mode full frame and Faint mode subbarray) resulted in different results for the measured temperature decay. In April 2015, there will be three observations of the Cas A CCO, including a dedicated calibration observation. In this proposal the two teams using different instrument modes have joined and propose a cross-calibration study with the goals (i) to derive a general calibration of the ACIS-Graded mode, (ii) to re-calibrate the previous 12 relevant archival CCO graded mode observations in order to quantify the temperature decay of the CCO in a comparative study.

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 17610242

Title: The Evolution of Hot Gas in Galaxy Mergers

PI Name: Beverly Smith

We propose an archival Chandra study of the diffuse X-ray-emitting gas in 54 interacting galaxy systems spanning the full merger sequence. We will determine the X-ray luminosity, mass, and temperature of the diffuse hot gas in these galaxies, and will compare these with the UV, optical, near-IR, mid-IR, and far-IR luminosities and published CO and HI data, to search for trends in the properties of the hot gas as a function of stellar mass, star formation rate, starburst age, and the parameters of the interaction. We will compare these results with those for nearby spiral galaxies. By comparison with numerical and analytical models, we will use this sample to construct a merger sequence and will investigate how the X-ray properties vary along this sequence to test feedback models.

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 17620249

Title: Rapid, Giant X-ray Flares From Extragalactic Globular Clusters

PI Name: Jimmy Irwin

Very rapid (< 1 minute), high amplitude (> 100) variability at >1e40 erg/s is quite rare in our Universe, with only gamma-ray bursts, soft gamma repeaters/anomalous X-ray pulsars, and neutron star Type II bursts fitting these requirements. We have recently discovered a new class of object showing these same characteristics while analyzing archival Chandra data. We have found two examples of X-ray point sources located within extragalactic globular clusters that flare suddenly by factors of 200 for a brief period of time before returning to their pre-flare state, with one object repeating this behavior four times over a 22 month time period. We propose a thorough archival search of all Chandra observations of galaxies to find more examples of these currently unexplained objects.

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 17620679

Title: Investigating the metallicity dependence of high-mass X-ray binaries with a sample of z~2 galaxies

PI Name: Francesca Fornasini

The usefulness of high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXB) as star-formation rate (SFR) indicators is limited by the large scatter in the HMXB luminosity vs. SFR correlation. This scatter is suggested to be due to the metallicity dependence of HMXB evolution, since theoretical studies predict that more luminous HMXBs are formed in low metallicity environments. Although some observations support this trend, the relationship between HMXB luminosity and metallicity remains poorly constrained. We propose to investigate the metallicity dependence of HMXBs with a sample of z~2 galaxies from the MOSDEF survey and deep archival Chandra data. This study will provide the first measurement of the HMXB L_X/SFR-Z relation that is based on metallicities, SFRs, and X-ray luminosities measured in a consistent way.

Subject Category: ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS

Proposal Number: 17700500

Title: Extragalactic X-ray Jets

PI Name: Daniel Harris

This proposal has two complimentary goals: to update the XJET website as a service to the community and to create a database of jet parameters that will facilitate attempts to create new classification schemes. (1) The XJET website now lacks entries for many published X-ray jets and fits files for downloading are available for only about half of the entries. Both of these deficiencies need to be corrected. (2) To more accurately evaluate different emission mechanisms for jet X-rays, we need to incorporate spectral information and X-ray upper limits for radio features of comparable flux to those which have detectable X-ray emission. These parameters will help us understand why quasar jet knots (much larger and more luminous than FRI knots) have the same range in Fx/Fr as FRI knots.

Subject Category: ACTIVE GALAXIES AND QUASARS

Proposal Number: 17700504

Title: X-RAY TOMOGRAPHY OF THE MHD WINDS OF AGN AND XRB

PI Name: Keigo Fukumura

We propose a systematic archival analysis of the outflows of 12 AGNs and 6 XRBs by modeling their X-ray atomic transitions present in the rich database of Chandra grating spectra. Existing analyses have indicated outflow's mass fluxes increase with distance from the accreting black hole implying they are associated with MHD disk-winds. We propose to model the absorption line properties of warm absorbers and fast-outflows with our MHD wind model with the goal of accounting successfully for the regularities of these spectral features observed in a number of AGNs. We expect that such a comprehensive analysis will yield novel insights into this aspect of black hole accretion in a coherent view.

Subject Category: CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

Proposal Number: 17800567

Title: Groups of Galaxies in the CDFS

PI Name: John Mulchaey

Although groups are the most common environment experienced by galaxies, we still know surprisingly little about the mechanisms that drive galaxy evolution in these systems. To help distinguish between models, groups must be studied over a range of redshifts. The deep Chandra data in the CDFS are the ideal dataset for identifying high redshift groups and studying the hot intragroup medium. We will combine the 7 Msec Chandra data with our spectroscopic follow-up program of these groups to: 1) measure the L-T relationship for groups at high redshift, 2) study the evolution of cool cores, gas metallicity and entropy, and 3) study the formation of the brightest group galaxy.

Subject Category: CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

Proposal Number: 17800702

Title: Characterizing fossil systems in the Chandra archive

PI Name: Alisha Kundert

Fossil groups and clusters are thought to be the end result of galaxy-galaxy mergers due to dynamical friction and thus should be old and relaxed. Existing temperature and entropy profiles reveal deviations from this equilibrium expectation; however, the small sample sizes of these studies have prevented statistical conclusions. We propose to construct radial temperature, abundance, entropy, and mass profiles for a sample of 16 fossil systems in the Chandra archive. These radial profiles will allow us to investigate how the features of fossil systems are shaped by both non-gravitational processes, as well as their formation epoch.

Subject Category: CLUSTERS OF GALAXIES

Proposal Number: 17800729

Title: Precision Cosmology with the Less Luminous Galaxy Clusters

PI Name: Anja von der Linden

The most critical systematic uncertainty for cluster cosmology is the calibration of cluster masses. A large cluster sample with both high-quality X-ray and weak lensing data can provide precise, unbiased calibration of X-ray mass proxies. We here request support for analyzing Chandra data of 65 clusters at z~0.1 with L_X = 1-2.5 x 10^44 erg/s to determine low-scatter mass proxies. These measurements will leverage an on-going project with DECam to estimate weak-lensing masses for a subset of 30 of these clusters, as well as our on-going work at higher X-ray luminosities. Extending the mass and X-ray luminosity range is critical work for determining scaling relations over the typical mass ranges probed by current and future cluster surveys.

Subject Category: EXTRAGALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION AND SURVEYS

Proposal Number: 17900118

Title: Early black holes signatures as traced by Chandra, an heritage program.

PI Name: Alexander Kashlinsky

We propose to combine the EGS and the recently approved UDS/SXDF Chandra XVPs data to obtain a precise measurement of the large scale joint fluctuations of the CXB and CIB. The results will be of extreme value to determine the nature of such a signal. We will test the z>10 Direct Collapse Black Holes and Intra Halo Light scenarios. This program would put Chandra in the leading position of solving the problem the mulit-wavelenght extragalactic background light fluctuations and likely find direct evidence of the first accreting objects in Universe.

Subject Category: EXTRAGALACTIC DIFFUSE EMISSION AND SURVEYS

Proposal Number: 17900135

Title: Temperature, metal abundance and cosmological density of the WHIM from FUV and X-ray absorption lines

PI Name: Massimiliano Bonamente

We propose the analysis of a sample of 16 bright X-ray sources with LETG data and FUV spectroscopy, to study the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) towards these sources. This project will be the first multi-wavelength (FUV and X-rays) study of the WHIM, and will provide significant advances in the characterization of the WHIM (both temperature and abundance) and its cosmological density. Unique features of this project are: (1) use of a new method to identify filaments from galaxy redshift surveys; (2) combination of FUV and X-ray data to provide superior constraints on both temperature and abundance of the WHIM; (3) a large number of sources with high quality Chandra and XMM spectra to provide an accurate measurement of Omega_WHIM.

The Chandra X-Ray Center (CXC) is operated for NASA by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA. Email: cxchelp@head.cfa.harvard.edu Smithsonian Institution, Copyright © 1998-2024. All rights reserved.