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The Swift-BAT Hard X-Ray Transient MonitorThe Swift/Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) hard X-ray transient monitor provides near real-time coverage of the X-ray sky in the energy range 15-50 keV. The BAT observes 88% of the sky each day with a detection sensitivity of 5.3 mCrab for a full-day observation and a time resolution as fine as 64 s. The three main purposes of the monitor are (1) the discovery of new transient X-ray sources, (2) the detection of outbursts or other changes in the flux of known X-ray sources, and (3) the generation of light curves of more than 900 sources spanning over eight years. The primary interface for the BAT transient monitor is a public Web site. Between 2005 February 12 and 2013 April 30, 245 sources have been detected in the monitor, 146 of them persistent and 99 detected only in outburst. Among these sources, 17 were previously unknown and were discovered in the transient monitor. In this paper, we discuss the methodology and the data processing and filtering for the BAT transient monitor and review its sensitivity and exposure.We provide a summary of the source detections and classify them according to the variability of their light curves. Finally, we review all new BAT monitor discoveries. For the new sources that are previously unpublished, we present basic data analysis and interpretations.
Document ID
20160005329
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Krimm, H. A.
(Universities Space Research Association Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Holland, S. T.
(Sigma Space Corp. Lanham, MD, United States)
Corbet, R. H. D.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Pearlman, A. B.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Romano, P.
(Istituto di Astrofisica Spaziale e Fisica Cosmica (INAF-IASF) Palermo, Italy)
Kennea, J. A.
(Pennsylvania State Univ. University Park, PA, United States)
Bloom, J. S.
(California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Barthelmy, S. D.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Baumgartner, W. H.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Cummings, J. R.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Gehrels, N.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Lien, A. Y.
(Maryland Univ. Baltimore County Baltimore, MD, United States)
Markwardt, C. B.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Palmer, D. M.
(Los Alamos National Lab. NM, United States)
Sakamoto, T.
(Aoyamagakuin Univ. Kanagawa, Japan)
Stamatikos, M.
(Ohio State Univ. Columbus, OH, United States)
Ukwatta, T. N.
(Michigan State Univ. East Lansing, MI, United States)
Date Acquired
April 26, 2016
Publication Date
October 25, 2013
Publication Information
Publication: The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series
Publisher: The American Astronomical Society
Volume: 209
Issue: 1
e-ISSN: 1538-4365
Subject Category
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Report/Patent Number
GSFC-E-DAA-TN16029
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AN71A
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-00136
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG06EO90A
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX12AD32G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNG11HP14C
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX09AU85G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX13AC75G
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNX12AE57G
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
black hole physics
surveys aEuro" X-rays:
pulsars: general

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