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L. Sidoli

Publications and source records attributed to L. Sidoli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

XMM-Newton multi-year campaign on NGC 55 ULX-1: Resolving the wind and its variability with RGS

Winds are an important ingredient in the evolution of X-ray binary (XRB) systems, particularly those at high accretion rates such as ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs), because they may regulate the accretion of matter onto the compact object. We aim at understanding the properties of ULX winds and their link with the source spectral and temporal behavior. We performed high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy of the variable source NGC 55 ULX-1 to resolve emission and absorption lines as observed with XMM-Newton at different epochs. Optically-thin plasma models are used to characterise the wind. We confirmed and thoroughly strengthened previous evidence of outflows in NGC 55 ULX-1. The presence of radiative recombination signatures and the ratios between the fluxes of the emission lines favours photoionisation balance and low-to-moderate densities, which confirm that the lines originate from classical XRB disc winds. An in-depth parameter space exploration shows line emission from a slowly moving, cool, and variable plasma perhaps associated with a thermal wind. Mildly-relativistic Doppler shifts (about -0.15c) associated with the absorption lines confirm, at higher confidence, the presence of powerful, radiatively-driven, winds. The comparison between results obtained at different epochs revealed that the wind responds to the variability of the underlying continuum and these variations may be used to understand the actual accretion regime and the nature of the source.

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Recasting the nature of INTEGRAL hard X-ray transients previously classified as active galactic nuclei

We present new broad-band X-ray results aimed at the identification and characterization of four poorly studied hard X-ray transients discovered by INTEGRAL: IGR J16426+6536, IGR J09446-2636, IGR J21268+6203, and IGR J02447+7046. The key properties and X-ray behavior of these sources have remained largely unknown until now. We investigated the temporal, spectral, and energetic characteristics of their hard X-ray outbursts detected above 20 keV by INTEGRAL. In addition, we performed a systematic analysis of unpublished archival soft X-ray observations below 10 keV, enabling a full exploration of their large INTEGRAL error circles in search of the most likely soft X-ray counterparts. Within their arcsecond-sized X-ray error circles, we identified single optical/near-infrared counterparts for each source. We analyzed their photometric properties to constrain the nature of the systems. Our results show that the X-ray properties of these four transients are inconsistent with the previously proposed extragalactic AGN origin, and instead support a Galactic nature for all of them. Specifically, we propose a very faint X-ray transient classification for IGR J16426+6536, a nearby flaring star for IGR J09446-2636 and IGR J21268+6203, finally a gamma-ray binary nature for IGR J02447+7046.

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Low-frequency spectra of neutron star + OB supergiant binaries: Does wind density drive persistent and flaring modes of accretion?

Neutron star high-mass X-ray binaries are well-studied in wavebands between the infrared and hard X-rays. Their low-frequency millimeter and radio properties, on the other hand, remain poorly understood. We present observations of the millimeter and radio emission of binaries where a neutron star accretes from an OB supergiant. We report ALMA and NOEMA millimeter observations of twelve systems, supplemented by VLA radio observations of six of those targets. Our targets include six Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SgXBs), four Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), and two intermediate systems. Nine out of twelve targets, including all SFXTs, are detected in at least one millimeter band, while in the radio, only two targets are detected. All detected targets display inverted radio/millimeter spectra, with spectral indices in the range $\alpha =0.6-0.8$ for those systems where accurate SED fits could be performed. We conclude, firstly, that the low-frequency SEDs of neutron star SFXTs and SgXBs are dominated by free-free emission from the OB supergiant's stellar wind, and that jet emission is unlikely to be observed unless the systems can be detected at sub-GHz frequencies. Secondly, we find that SFXTs are fainter at 100 GHz than prototypical SgXBs, probably due to systematically less dense winds in the former, as supported further by the differences in their fluorescence Fe K$\alpha$ lines. We furthermore compare the stellar wind constraints obtained from our millimeter observations with those from IR/optical/UV studies and bow shock detections, and present evidence for long-term stellar wind variability visible in the thermal emission.

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The persistent nature of the Be X-ray binary pulsar 4U 0728-25

We report the results obtained with a XMM-Newton observation, performed in April 2023, of the poorly known Galactic Be X-ray binary pulsar 4U 0728-25. It was revealed at a flux level (not corrected for the absorption) $f_{\rm X}$(0.2-12 keV) = 1.7$\times 10^{-11}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, which implies an unabsorbed source luminosity $L_{\rm X} \simeq 1.3 \times 10^{35}$ erg s$^{-1}$: this is the minimum luminosity ever observed for this source. We measured a pulse period $P_{\rm spin}$ = 103.301(5) s, a value $\simeq $ 0.15 % longer than that estimated in 2016 with AstroSat. The pulse profile shows a broad single peak at all energies, with a limited energy dependence and a small increase in the pulsed fraction with energy. The time-averaged EPIC spectrum can be described equally well by four different emission models, either with a single non-thermal component (a partially covered power law or a cut-off power law), or with a thermal component in addition to the non-thermal one (a black body plus a power law, or a collisionally ionised gas plus a cut-off power law). All of them provided an equally good fit and, in the case of the power-law plus black-body model, the thermal component is characterized by a high temperature ($kT_{\rm BB} \simeq$ 1.5 keV) and a small size ($R_{\rm BB} \simeq$ 240 m), comparable with that of the neutron-star polar caps. A spectral variability along the pulse phase is present, which suggests a flux variation of the black-body component. These results show that, for its luminosity level, flux variabilty over long time scales, and spectral properties, 4U 0728-25 is very similar to most of the persistent Be X-ray binaries. Therefore, it can be considered a member of this class of sources.

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4XMM J181330.1-175110: a new supergiant fast X-ray transient

Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXT) are a sub-class of High Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXB) in which a compact object accretes part of the clumpy wind of the blue supergiant companion, triggering a series of brief, X-ray flares lasting a few kiloseconds. Currently, only about fifteen SFXTs are known. The EXTraS catalog provides the timing signatures of every source observed by the EPIC instrument on-board XMM-Newton. Among the most peculiar sources, in terms of variability, we selected 4XMM J181330.1-17511 (J1813). We analyzed all publicly available X-ray data pointed at the J1813 position to determine the source's duty cycle and to provide a comprehensive description of its timing and spectral behavior during its active phase. Additionally, we searched for the optical and infrared counterpart of the X-ray source in public databases and fitted its Spectral Energy Distribution (SED). The optical-to-MIR SED of J1813 is consistent with a highly-absorbed (A$_V\sim38$) B0 star at $\sim$10 kpc. During its X-ray active phase, the source is characterized by continuous $\sim$thousands seconds-long flares with peak luminosities (2-12 keV) ranging from $10^{34}$ to $4 \times 10^{35}$ erg s$^{-1}$. Its X-ray spectrum is consistent with a high-absorbed power-law model with N$_H \sim 1.8 \times 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$ and $\Gamma \sim 1.66$. No spectral variability was observed as a function of time or flux. J1813 is in a quiescent state $\sim$60\% of the time, with an upper-limit luminosity of $8 \times 10^{32}$ erg s$^{-1}$ (at 10 kpc), implying an observed long-term X-ray flux variability $>$500. The optical counterpart alone indicates J1813 is a HMXB. Its transient nature, duty cycle, the amplitude of observed X-ray variability, the shape and luminosity of the X-ray flares -- and the lack of known X-ray outbursts ($>10^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$) -- strongly support the identification of J1813 as an SFXT.

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New interpretation of the two hard X-ray sources IGR J17503-2636 and IGR J17507-2647

We report on the results of X-ray observations (XMM-Newton, INTEGRAL and Swift) of two hard X-ray sources, IGR J17503-2636 and IGR J17507-2647, whose nature is not fully elucidated in the literature. Three XMM-Newton observations covered the field of IGR J17503-2636, in 2020 and twice in 2023. The analysis of the two XMM-Newton observations performed in September 2023, six days apart, did not detect IGR J17503-2636, allowing us to pose the most stringent 3sigma upper limit on the source flux to date (~9.5x10^-14 erg/cm2/s, 2-10 keV, flux corrected for absorption). This value implies that the amplitude of the X-ray flux variability exceeds a factor of ~2100, compared with the discovery outburst in 2018. A candidate X-ray periodicity at 0.335397(3) seconds has been barely detected (significance of about 3.8sigma) from IGR J17503-2636 with XMM-Newton (pulsed fraction of (10+/-1) per cent). The new data, put into the context of previous literature, allow us to propose a new classification of IGR J17503-2636 as a symbiotic X-ray binary, rather than a candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient. IGR J17507-2647 was formerly reported below 10 keV only during Chandra observations performed in 2009. We report here on two XMM-Newton observations that serendipitously covered the source field in 2020 and in 2023, finding a stable X-ray emission, both in X-ray flux and spectral shape. The long-term, persistent X-ray emission has also been probed by several Swift/XRT short observations and by INTEGRAL data spanning several years. We have detected an iron line in the emission (with centroid energy in the range of 6.3-6.6 keV), never reported before in the IGR J17507-2647 spectrum. The source properties favor the identification with a cataclysmic variable.

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The role of XMM-Newton in the investigation of persistent BeXRBs

The persistent BeXRBs are a class of High-Mass X-ray Binaries (HMXRBs), which are characterized by persistent low X-ray luminosities ($L_{\rm X} \sim 10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$) and wide ($P_{\rm orb} >$ 30 d), almost circular orbits. In these sources the NS is slowly rotating (with $P_{\rm spin}$ well above 100 s) and accretes matter directly from the wind of the companion Be star, without the formation of an accretion disk. Since the '90s, when the first four members of this class were identified, several other sources of the same type have been discovered and investigated. Thanks to follow-up XMM-Newton observations, we have verified that most of them share common spectral and timing properties, such as a pulsed fraction that does not vary with the photon energy and a hot (kT = 1-2 keV) blackbody spectral component which contributes for 20-40 % to the total flux and has a size consistent with the NS polar cap. Here we provide an overview of how XMM-Newton contributed to constrain the observational properties and the current understanding of this type of sources. We also report about the first results obtained with a very recent XMM-Newton observation of the poorly known BeXRB 4U 0728-25.

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Unveiling the short and faint X-ray transient nature of IGR J17419-2802

We report new X-ray results from the INTErnational Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL), Swift, Chandra, and XMM-Newton observations of the hitherto poorly studied unidentified X-ray transient IGR J17419-2802. We studied in detail the temporal, spectral, and energetic properties of three hard X-ray outbursts detected above 20 keV by INTEGRAL. They are all characterized by an average X-ray luminosity of 3$\times$10$^{35}$~erg~s$^{-1}$ and a constrained duration of a few days. This marks a peculiarly short and faint X-ray transient nature for IGR J17419-2802. From archival unpublished soft X-ray observations, we found that the source spends most of the time undetected at very low X-ray fluxes (down to $<4.7\times10^{-14}$ erg cm $^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$) for a dynamic range >2,000 when in outburst. We provided an accurate arcsecond-sized source error circle. Inside it, we pinpointed the best candidate near-infrared counterpart whose photometric properties are compatible with a late-type spectral nature. Based on our new findings, we suggest that IGR J17419-2802 is a new member of the very faint X-ray transients (VFXTs) class. Detailed investigations of VFXT outbursts above 20 keV are particularly rare. In this respect, our reported INTEGRAL outbursts are among the best studied to date; in particular, their constrained duration of a few days is among the shortest ever measured for a VFXT.

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A soft and transient ultraluminous X-ray source with 6-h modulation in the NGC 300 galaxy

We investigate the nature of CXOU J005440.5-374320 (J0054), a peculiar bright ($\sim$$4\times10^{39}$ erg/s) and soft X-ray transient in the spiral galaxy NGC 300 with a 6-hour periodic flux modulation that was detected in a 2014 Chandra observation. Subsequent observations with Chandra and XMM-Newton, as well as a large observational campaign of NGC 300 and its sources performed with the Swift Neil Gehrels Observatory, showed that this source exhibits recurrent flaring activity: four other outbursts were detected across $\sim$8 years of monitoring. Using data from the Swift/UVOT archive and from the XMM-Newton/OM and Gaia catalogues, we noted the source is likely associated with a bright blue optical/ultraviolet counterpart. This prompted us to perform follow-up observations with the Southern African Large Telescope in December 2019. With the multi-wavelength information at hand, we discuss several possibilities for the nature of J0054. Although none is able to account for the full range of the observed peculiar features, we found that the two most promising scenarios are a stellar-mass compact object in a binary system with a Wolf$-$Rayet star companion, or the recurrent tidal stripping of a stellar object trapped in a system with an intermediate-mass ($\sim1000$ $M_\odot$) black hole.

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Probing the nature of the X-ray source IGR J16327-4940 with Chandra

We report on the results of a Chandra observation of the source IGRJ16327-4940, suggested to be a high mass X-ray binary hosting a luminous blue variable star (LBV). The source field was imaged by ACIS-I in 2023 to search for X-ray emission from the LBV star and eventually confirm this association. No X-ray emission is detected from the LBV star, with an upper limit on the X-ray luminosity of L$_{\rm 0.5-10 keV}<2.9(^{+1.6} _{-1.1})\times10^{32}$ erg/s (at the LBV distance d=12.7$^{+3.2} _{-2.7}$ kpc). We detected 21 faint X-ray sources, 8 of which inside the INTEGRAL error circle. The brightest one is the best candidate soft X-ray counterpart of IGRJ16327-4940, showing a hard power law spectrum and a flux corrected for the absorption UF$_{\rm 0.5-10 keV}$=$2.5\times10^{-13}$ erg/cm2/s, mplying a luminosity of $3.0\times10^{33}$ d$_{10~kpc}^2$ erg/s. No optical/near-infrared counterparts have been found. Previous X--ray observations of the source field with Swift/XRT and ART-XC did not detect any source consistent with the INTEGRAL position. These findings exclude the proposed LBV star as the optical association, and pinpoint the most likely soft X-ray counterpart. In this case, the source properties suggest a low mass X-ray binary, possibly a new member of the very faint X-ray transient class.

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The first mm detection of a neutron star high-mass X-ray binary

Neutron stars accreting from OB supergiants are often divided between persistently and transiently accreting systems, called Supergiant X-ray Binaries (SgXBs) and Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs). This dichotomy in accretion behaviour is typically attributed to systematic differences in the massive stellar wind, binary orbit, or magnetic field configuration, but direct observational evidence for these hypotheses remains sparse. To investigate their stellar winds, we present the results of pilot 100-GHz observations of one SFXT and one SgXB with the Northern Extended Millimetre Array. The SFXT, IGR J18410-0535, is detected as a point source at $63.4 \pm 9.6$ $μ$Jy, while the SgXB, IGR J18410-0535 remains undetected. Radio observations of IGR J18410-0535 imply a flat or inverted low-frequency spectrum, arguing for wind emission and against non-thermal flaring. Due to the uncertain SFXT distance, however, the observations do not necessarily imply a difference between the wind properties of the SFXT and SgXB. We compare the mm constraints with other HMXBs and isolated OB supergiants, before considering how future mm campaigns can constrain HMXB wind properties by including X-ray measurements. Specifically, we discuss caveats and future steps to successfully measure wind mass loss rates and velocities in HMXBs with coordinated mm, radio, and X-ray campaigns.

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XTE J1906+090: a persistent low luminosity Be X-ray Binary

We present new results from INTEGRAL and Swift observations of the hitherto poorly studied and unidentified X-ray source XTE J1906+090. A bright hard X-ray outburst (luminosity of $\sim$10$^{36}$ erg s$^{-1}$ above 20 keV) has been discovered with INTEGRAL observations in 2010, this being the fourth outburst ever detected from the source. Such events are sporadic, the source duty cycle is in the range (0.8--1.6)% as inferred from extensive INTEGRAL and Swift monitoring in a similar hard X-ray band. Using five archival unpublished Swift/XRT observations, we found that XTE J1906+090 has been consistently detected at a persistent low X-ray luminosity value of $\sim$10$^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$, with limited variability (a factor as high as 4). Based on our findings, we propose that XTE J1906+090 belongs to the small and rare group of persistent low luminosity Be X-ray Binaries.

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XMM-Newton discovery of very high obscuration in the candidate Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient AX J1714.1-3912

We have analysed an archival XMM-Newton EPIC observation that serendipitously covered the sky position of a variable X-ray source AX J1714.1-3912, previously suggested to be a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT). During the XMM-Newton observation the source is variable on a timescale of hundred seconds and shows two luminosity states, with a flaring activity followed by unflared emission, with a variability amplitude of a factor of about 50. We have discovered an intense iron emission line with a centroid energy of 6.4 keV in the power law-like spectrum, modified by a large absorption (NH around 1e24 cm-2), never observed before from this source. This X-ray spectrum is unusual for an SFXT, but resembles the so-called "highly obscured sources", high mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) hosting an evolved B[e] supergiant companion (sgB[e]). This might suggest that AX J1714.1-3912 is a new member of this rare type of HMXBs, which includes IGR J16318-4848 and CI Camelopardalis. Increasing this small population of sources would be remarkable, as they represent an interesting short transition evolutionary stage in the evolution of massive binaries. Nevertheless, AX J1714.1-3912 appears to share X-ray properties of both kinds of HMXBs (SFXT vs sgB[e] HMXB). Therefore, further investigations of the companion star are needed to disentangle the two hypothesis.

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Prospects for Galactic transient sources detection with the Cherenkov Telescope Array

Several types of Galactic sources, like magnetars, microquasars, novae or pulsar wind nebulae flares, display transient emission in the X-ray band. Some of these sources have also shown emission at MeV--GeV energies. However, none of these Galactic transients have ever been detected in the very-high-energy (VHE; E$>$100 GeV) regime by any Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescope (IACT). The Galactic Transient task force is a part of the Transient Working group of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Consortium. The task force investigates the prospects of detecting the VHE counterpart of such sources, as well as their study following Target of Opportunity (ToO) observations. In this contribution, we will show some of the results of exploring the capabilities of CTA to detect and observe Galactic transients; we assume different array configurations and observing strategies.

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Detecting the intrinsic X-ray emission from the O-type donor star and the residual accretion in a Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient during its faintest state

We report on the results of an XMM-Newton observation of the Supergiant Fast X-ray Transient (SFXT) IGR J08408-4503 performed in June 2020. The source is composed by a compact object (likely a neutron star) orbiting around an O8.5Ib-II(f)p star, LM Vel. The X-ray light curve shows a very low level of emission, punctuated by a single, faint flare. Analysis of spectra measured during the flare and during quiescence is performed. The quiescent state shows a continuum spectrum well deconvolved to three spectral models: two components are from a collisionally-ionized plasma (with temperatures kT1=0.24 keV and kT2=0.76 keV), together with a power law model (photon index of 2.55), dominating above 2 keV. The X-ray flux emitted at this lowest level is 3.2$\times10^{-13}$ erg/cm2/s (0.5-10 keV, corrected for the interstellar absorption), implying an X-ray luminosity of 1.85$\times10^{32}$ erg/s (at 2.2 kpc). The two temperature collisionally-ionized plasma is intrinsic to the stellar wind of the donor star, while the power law can be interpreted as emission due to residual, low level accretion onto the compact object. The X-ray luminosity contributed by the power law component only, in the lowest state, is (4.8$\pm{1.4})\times10^{31}$ erg/s, the lowest quiescent luminosity detected from the compact object in an SFXT. Thanks to this very faint X-ray state caught by XMM-Newton, X-ray emission from the wind of the donor star LM Vel could be well-established and studied in detail for the first time, as well as a very low level of accretion onto the compact object. The residual accretion rate onto the compact object in IGR J08408-4503 can be interpreted as the Bohm diffusion of (possibly magnetized) plasma entering the neutron star magnetosphere at low Bondi capture rates from the supergiant donor wind at the quasi-spherical radiation-driven settling accretion stage.

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A deep $XMM-Newton$ observation of the X-Persei-like binary system CXOU J225355.1+624336

We report on the follow-up $XMM-Newton$ observation of the persistent X-ray pulsar CXOU J225355.1+624336, discovered with the CATS@BAR project on archival $Chandra$ data. The source was detected at $f_{\rm X}$(0.5-10 keV) = 3.4$\times 10^{-12}$ erg cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$, a flux level which is fully consistent with the previous observations performed with $ROSAT$, $Swift$, and $Chandra$. The measured pulse period $P$ = 46.753(3) s, compared with the previous measurements, implies a constant spin down at an average rate $\dot P = 5.3\times 10^{-10}$ s s$^{-1}$. The pulse profile is energy dependent, showing three peaks at low energy and a less structured profile above about 3.5 keV. The pulsed fraction slightly increases with energy. We described the time-averaged EPIC spectrum with four different emission models: a partially covered power law, a cut-off power law, and a power law with an additional thermal component (either a black body or a collisionally ionized gas). In all cases we obtained equally good fits, so it was not possible to prefer or reject any emission model on the statistical basis. However, we disfavour the presence of the thermal components, since their modeled X-ray flux, resulting from a region larger than the neutron star surface, would largely dominate the X-ray emission from the pulsar. The phase-resolved spectral analysis showed that a simple flux variation cannot explain the source variability and proved that it is characterized by a spectral variability along the pulse phase. The results of the $XMM-Newton$ observation confirmed that CXOU J225355.1+624336 is a BeXB with a low-luminosity ($L_{\rm X} \sim 10^{34-35}$ erg s$^{-1}$), a limited variability, and a constant spin down. Therefore, they reinforce the source classification as a persistent BeXB.

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Multiwavelength investigation of the candidate Galactic PeVatron MGRO J1908+06

The candidate PeVatron MGRO J1908+06, which shows a hard spectrum beyond 100 TeV, is one of the most peculiar $γ$-ray sources in the Galactic plane. Its complex morphology and some possible counterparts spatially related with the VHE emission region, preclude to distinguish between a hadronic or leptonic nature of the $γ$-ray emission. In this paper we illustrate a new multiwavelength analysis of MGRO J1908+06, with the aim to shed light on its nature and the origin of its ultra high-energy emission. We performed an analysis of the $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO molecular line emission demonstrating the presence of dense molecular clouds spatially correlated with the source region. We also analyzed 12-years of Fermi-LAT data between 10 GeV and 1 TeV finding a counterpart with a hard spectrum ($Γ\sim 1.6$). Our reanalysis of XMM-Newton data allowed us to put a more stringent constraint on the X-ray flux from this source. We demonstrate that a single accelerator cannot explain the whole set of multiwavelength data, regardless of whether it accelerates protons or electrons, but a 2-zone model is needed to explain the emission from MGRO J1908+06. The VHE emission seems most likely the superposition of a TeV PWN powered by PSR J1907+0602, in the southern part, and of the interaction between the supernova remnant G40.5-0.5 and the molecular clouds towards the northern region.

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Time Domain Astronomy with the THESEUS Satellite

THESEUS is a medium size space mission of the European Space Agency, currently under evaluation for a possible launch in 2032. Its main objectives are to investigate the early Universe through the observation of gamma-ray bursts and to study the gravitational waves electromagnetic counterparts and neutrino events. On the other hand, its instruments, which include a wide field of view X-ray (0.3-5 keV) telescope based on lobster-eye focusing optics and a gamma-ray spectrometer with imaging capabilities in the 2-150 keV range, are also ideal for carrying out unprecedented studies in time domain astrophysics. In addition, the presence onboard of a 70 cm near infrared telescope will allow simultaneous multi-wavelegth studies. Here we present the THESEUS capabilities for studying the time variability of different classes of sources in parallel to, and without affecting, the gamma-ray bursts hunt.

astro-ph.IM