WE PROPOSE XMM OBSERVATIONS TO CAPTURE THE ECHO OF SGR A*'S PAST FLARES BEFORE THEY LEAVE THE CENTRAL MOLECULAR ZONE. THESE OBSERVATIONS OF THE DISTANT MOLECULAR CLOUDS SGR D AND E WITH XMM'S LARGE EFFECTIVE AREA ARE REQUIRED TO EXTEND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF SGR A*'S PAST LIGHT CURVE FURTHER BACK IN TIME. IT WILL PERMIT US TO COMPLETE OUR GLOBAL STUDY OF THE GC X RAY DIFFUSE EMISSION WHICH CONCLUDES THAT TWO SHORT EVENTS HAPPENING FEW HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND CURRENTLY PROPAGATING THROUGH THE ISM ARE SUFFICIENT TO EXPLAIN ALL THE VARIATIONS WE DETECTED. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO FULLY IDENTIFY A THIRD AND OLDER OUTBURST FROM SGR A*. THIS WILL BETTER CONSTRAIN THE FREQUENCY OF THESE PAST CATASTROPHIC EVENTS AND BRING US CLOSER TO CONCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHING THEIR PHYSICAL ORIGIN.

Regents Of The University Of California, The

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