The nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources in nearby galaxies

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dc.creatorRoberts, T. P.
dc.creatorGoad, M. R.
dc.creatorWard, M. J.
dc.creatorWarwick, R. S.
dc.creatorLira, P.
dc.date2002-02-01
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T02:02:37Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T02:02:37Z
dc.descriptionThe advanced capabilities of the Chandra and XMM-Newton observatories mean that, for the first time, the detailed study of the brightest point-like X-ray sources in nearby galaxies outside of the local group is a realistic aim. Here, we present the results of a Chandra ACIS-S study of two of the nearest and brightest sources in the rare ultraluminous (L(X) > 10^39 erg s^-1) X-ray source (ULX) class, NGC 5204 X-1 and NGC 4559 X-1. When considered with new optical integral field spectroscopy data this provides powerful diagnostics as to the nature of these sources, in particular suggesting that NGC 5204 X-1 is a high-mass X-ray binary, and showing new evidence linking it to the Galactic microquasar phenomenon. We also find that both ULX appear to be located in cavities in emission-line gas nebulae that surround the sources. In addition, we present the results of a Chandra observation of the interacting galaxies NGC 4485/NGC 4490, a pair of late-type spiral galaxies that, remarkably, contain a total of six ULX. We identify one as a supernovae, and the remainder as probable black hole X-ray binaries. All six are located in star formation regions, underlining the emerging link between ULX and active star formation activity.
dc.description8 pages, 9 figures, to appear in the proceedings of the symposium `New Visions of the X-ray Universe in the XMM-Newton and Chandra Era', 26-30 November 2001, ESTEC, The Netherlands. Version including full resolution figures available from http://www.star.le.ac.uk/~tro/papers/troberts-E3.ps.gz (1.3 Mb, gzipped)
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0202017
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0202017
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/4100
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources in nearby galaxies
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