Title: Broad Band Observations of Centaurus A with INTEGRAL/RXTE
Proposal ID: 0120126
Subject category: Extragalactic Object
Principal investigator: Rothschild
Institute: University of California, San Diego
Abstract
We propose three 150 ks observations of the nearby radio galaxy
Centaurus A with INTEGRAL, which we plan to
coordinate with
contemporaneous RXTE observations. Cen A is the brightest
extragalactic object at hundreds
of keV, and remains an enigma after
more than three decades of observations. The primary goal of
the
combined observations is to characterize the continuum shape as well as
search for variations in the
spectrum by contrasting the three
observations utilizing the excellent INTEGRAL continuum sensitivity
over
the 2 keV to ~1 MeV band. Any spectral variations seen will
be correlated with other spectral parameters,
as measured
simultaneously by RXTE and INTEGRAL. Another primary goal of this
investigation is to provide an
early INTEGRAL/RXTE cross calibration of
instruments to set the basis for all such broad band measurements.
Finally, we will perform a speculative search for nuclear lines at 1.65
and 4.5 MeV, of which the latter
were seen at low significance in an
early balloon observation.