The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82
| dc.creator | Kaaret, Philip | |
| dc.creator | Simet, Melanie G. | |
| dc.creator | Lang, Cornelia C. | |
| dc.date | 2006-03-24 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-07T07:01:16Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-07T07:01:16Z | |
| dc.description | The ultraluminous x-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy M82 has been identified as a possible intermediate-mass black hole. We have found that the x-ray flux from M82 is modulated with a peak-to-peak amplitude corresponding to an isotropic luminosity of 2.4x10^40 erg/s in M82 and a period of 62.0 +/- 2.5 days, which we interpret as the orbital period of the ULX binary. This orbital period implies that the mass-donor star must be a giant or supergiant. Large mass-transfer rates, sufficient to fuel the ULX, are expected for a giant-phase mass donor in an x-ray binary. The giant phase has a short lifetime, indicating that we see the ULX in M82 in a brief and unusual period of its evolution. | |
| dc.description | 3 pages, appeared in Science | |
| dc.identifier | https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603653 | |
| dc.identifier | http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603653 | |
| dc.identifier | Science 27 January 2006: Vol. 311. no. 5760, p. 491 | |
| dc.identifier | doi:10.1126/science.1121067 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/108221 | |
| dc.subject | Astrophysics | |
| dc.title | The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82 | |
| dc.type | text |