Simulations of Observations with the Optical Monitor of the X-Ray Multi-Mirror Satellite

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of the observations to be performed with the Optical Monitor (OM) of the X-ray Multi-Mirror Satellite (XMM) under several aspects. First, we discuss XMM-OM's photometric system and its colour transformations towards the standard UBV system. Second, we establish a set of procedures to determine the temperature and the amount of interstellar absorption affecting the observed stars. Last, we address the possibility of isolating quasars in multidimensional colour diagrams based on the XMM-OM filter set.

14 pages, 10 figures included in the postscipt file. Accepted for publication in A&AS. Also available at http://vela.astro.ulg.ac.be/Preprints/P51/