Abstract for Proposal 096454
Resolving the relativistic shock breakout in the brightest, longest QPE
We recently discovered Quasi-Periodic Eruptions (QPEs) in a tenth galaxy,
SDSS1335+0728. They are extreme: they rise to peak amplitudes of 500x
quiescence, last 1.5 days, and reach fluxes >1.5e-11 erg/cm2/s. With
eruptions 4x longer and peak flux 2.5x higher than any other QPE source,
SDSS1335 provides 10x more counts per flare, allowing phase-resolved
high-resolution spectroscopy for the first time. We uncovered a rapidly
evolving spectral feature suggesting a relativistic outflow of 0.06-0.15c;
this is the first detection of such a feature in a QPE, and tracing its
evolution will be an extremely powerful model constraint. We propose
440ks XMM+50ks Swift monitoring to resolve the properties of the
ionizing continuum in unprecedented detail and constrain the putative
shock-breakout powering QPEs.
Details on Observing Strategy and Trigger Criteria
There are no triggering criteria available for this proposal yet.