Proposal Details - 0920008
Broad Band Variability of Microquasars: Integral observations of Cygnus X-1 and GRS 1915+105 (Wilms)

Proposal Abstract

Monitoring of microquasars such as GRS 1915+105 and Cygnus X-1 during the previous INTEGRAL AOs has revealed a wealth of new observational information. The monitoring has revealed the dynamical behavior of these sources above 20 keV on all time scales, as opposed to the snapshot observations available before. It is proposed to continue the monitoring of these canonical black holes with a dedicated Key Programme in INTEGRAL AO8 and AO9, which will also include the soft X-rays through a strategy that allows the source to remain in the field of view of JEM-X. The proposed investigation will allow to study different emission models for the two extreme cases of microquasars with INTEGRAL and simultaneous optical, IR, and radio observations. This proposal is a continuation of earlier accepted observations that started in AO1.

Observation Strategy (Recommended by TAC)

A total of 1.2 Ms using 25x20 ks fixed-time monitoring observations using a standard HEX pattern on GRS 1915+105 (RA, Dec = 288.798, 10.946; l, b = 10.946, -0.219) and 7x100 ks observations using a randomized HEX pattern on Cygnus X-1 (RA, Dec = 299.59, 35.202; l, b = 71.335, 3.067). The observations of GRS 1915+105 will be done approximately every second revolution; the observations of Cygnus X-1 will be spread over the whole AO-9.

Proposal grade: A

Data Rights (Recommended by TAC)

The TAC granted data rights for Cyg X-1 and GRS 1915+105

Exposure Map

The exposure maps are in galactic coordinates using the Aitoff projection and units of seconds, and the colour scale is indicated at the bottom. The green lines provide the 100, 300 and 500 ksec contour.