AN XMM-NEWTON SURVEY OF FACE-ON SPIRAL GALAXIES

We propose XMMNewton observations of a welldefined sample of faceon spiralgalaxies for which Chandra measurements are already available. The combineddatasets will provide an unprecedented resource for the comparative study of thehigh energy properties of spiral galaxies over a wide range of Hubble type.Issues to be addressed include the distribution, physical state and energeticsof the hot ISM and the spectral and temporal characteristics of the mostluminous discrete sources. We will also investigate the links between Xrayemission and current/recent episodes of starformation. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]