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Register a new userWeakly broadened iron line in the X-ray spectrum of the Ultra Luminous X-ray source M82 X-1
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Added by
Mar\\'ia D. Caballero-Garc\\'ia Dr
Publication date
2011
fields
Physics
and research's language is
English
Authors
M. D. Caballero-Garcia
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In this paper we present the best quality XMM-Newton and Suzaku data from M82 X-1 so far. We analyze the spectra of this remarkable Ultra-Luminous X-ray Source in a self-consistent manner. We have disentangled emission from the host galaxy, responsible for the soft X-ray emission (E<2.5 keV), which is successfully described by a two-temperature thermal emission from a hot plasma in multi-phase state, plus a narrow Fe line emission at 6.7 keV. This allowed us to properly study the intrinsic continuum emission from M82 X-1. The continuum of the Suzaku spectrum is curved and the high quality data of the Suzaku spectrum allowed us to significantly detect a weakly broadened Fe K-alpha emission line. The Equivalent-Width is in the range 30-80 eV and it does not depend on the model applied for the continuum. Assuming that this line is coming from the ULX via disc fluorescence, the data indicates a disc truncation at a radius of 6-20 gravitational radii. This value is comparable to or even larger than the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit of a non-spinning (Schwarzschild) black hole. Future longer observations might test this scenario.
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Many upcoming surveys, particularly in the radio and optical domains, are designed to probe either the temporal and/or the spatial variability of a range of astronomical objects. In the light of these high resolution surveys, we review the subject of ultra-luminous X-ray (ULX) sources, which are thought to be accreting black holes for the most part. We also discuss the sub-class of ULXs known as the hyper-luminous X-ray sources, which may be accreting intermediate mass black holes. We focus on some of the open questions that will be addressed with the new facilities, such as the mass of the black hole in ULXs, their temporal variability and the nature of the state changes, their surrounding nebulae and the nature of the region in which ULXs reside.
We investigate the long-term spectral variability in the ultra-luminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X--1. By analyzing the data from eight {it Suzaku} and 13 {it XMM-Newton} observations conducted between 2001 and 2015, we perform a detailed spectral modeling for all spectra with simple models and complex physical models. We find that the spectra can be well explained by a disc plus thermal Comptonization model. Applying this model, we unveil correlations between the X-ray luminosity ($L_{rm X}$) and the spectral parameters. Among the correlations, a particular one is the statistically significant positive correlation between $L_{rm X}$ and the photon index ($Gamma$), while at the high luminosities of $> 2times10^{40},{rm~erg s}^{-1}$, the source becomes marginally hard and that results a change in the slope of the $Gamma - L_{rm X}$ correlation. Similar variability behavior is observed in the optical depth of the source around $L_{rm X} sim 2times10^{40},{rm~erg s}^{-1}$ as the source becomes more optically thick. We consider the scenario that a corona covers the inner part of the disc, and the correlations can be explained as to be driven by the variability of seed photons from the disc input into the corona. On the basis of the disc-corona model, we discuss the physical processes that are possibly indicated by the variability of the spectral parameters. Our analysis reveals the complex variability behavior of Holmberg IX X--1 and the variability mechanism is likely related to the geometry of the X-ray emitting regions.
The small subset of hyper-luminous X-ray sources with luminosities in excess of ~1E41 erg/s are hard to explain without the presence of an intermediate mass black hole, as significantly super-Eddington accretion and/or very small beaming angles are required. The recent discovery of HLX-1, the most luminous object in this class with a record breaking luminosity of ~1E42 erg/s in the galaxy ESO 243-49, therefore currently provides some of the strongest evidence for the existence of intermediate mass black holes. HLX-1 is almost an order of magnitude brighter than the other hyper-luminous sources, and appears to exhibit X-ray spectral and flux variability similar to Galactic stellar mass black hole X-ray binaries. In this paper we review the current state of knowledge on this intriguing source and outline the results of multi-wavelength studies from radio to ultra-violet wavelengths, including imaging and spectroscopy of the recently identified optical counterpart obtained with the Very Large Telescope. These results continue to support an intermediate mass black hole in excess of 500 Msun
We report on the results of X-ray observations of 4XMM J111816.0-324910, a transient ultra-luminous X-ray source located in the galaxy NGC 3621. This system is characterised by a transient nature and marked variability with characteristic time-scale of ~3500 s, differently from other ULXs, which in the vast majority show limited intra-observation variability. Such a behaviour is very reminiscent of the so-called heartbeats sometimes observed in the Galactic black hole binary GRS 1915+105, where the variability time-scale is ~10-1000 s. We study the spectral and timing properties of this object and find that overall, once the differences in the variability time-scales are taken into account, they match quite closely those of both GRS 1915+105, and of a number of objects showing heartbeats in their light-curves, including a confirmed neutron star and a super-massive black hole powering an active galactic nucleus. We investigate the nature of the compact object in 4XMM J111816.0-324910 by searching for typical neutron star signatures and by attempting a mass estimate based on different methods and assumptions. Based on the current available data, we are not able to unambiguously determine the nature of the accreting compact object responsible for the observed phenomenology.
We use archival HST/WFPC2 V and I band images to show that the optical counterpart to the ultra-luminous x-ray source NGC 5204 X-1, reported by Roberts et al., is composed of two sources separated by 0.5. We have also identified a third source as a possible counterpart, which lies 0.8 from the nominal x-ray position. PSF fitting photometry yields V-band magnitudes of 20.3, 22.0 and 22.4 for the three sources. The V-I band colours are 0.6, 0.1, and -0.2, respectively (i.e. the fainter sources are bluer). We find that all V-I colours and luminosities are consistent with those expected for young stellar clusters (age <10 Myr).
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