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Register a new userThe unusual supernova remnant surrounding the ultraluminous X-ray source IC 342 X-1
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T.P. Roberts
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We report the results of an observation of a large diameter (110 pc) supernova remnant (SNR) found to encircle the position of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) IC 342 X-1. The inferred initial energy input to the SNR is at least 2 -- 3 times greater than the canonical energy for an ``ordinary supernova remnant. Two regions on the inside of the shell are bright in [O III] lambda5007 emission, possibly as the result of X-ray photoionization by the ULX. If this is the case, then the morphology of this nebulosity implies that the X-ray emission from the ULX is anisotropic. The presence of the ULX, most probably a black hole X-ray binary, within an unusually energetic supernova remnant suggests that we may be observing the aftermath of a gamma-ray burst, though other origins for the energetic nebula are discussed.
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We present Chandra and HST observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) IC 342 X-1. The Chandra and HST images are aligned using two X-ray emitting foreground stars. The astrometry corrected position for X-1 is R.A. = 03h45m55.61s, Decl. = +68d04m55.3s (J2000) with an error circle of 0.2. One extended optical source is found in the error circle, which could be the optical counterpart of X-1. The source shows an extended feature in HST images at long wavelengths, which is likely to be a superposition of two point sources, although it is possible that the dimmer one could be a jet. Both sources are much redder than typical for ULX optical counterparts. The brighter one has an absolute magnitude M_V = -5.2 +/- 0.2 and (B-V)_0 = 0.66 +/- 0.13 and the dimmer star is not detected in B and has (B-V)_0 > 2.1. Their colors are consistent with an F8 to G0 Ib supergiant or a carbon star, respectively. However, it is likely that part or most of the optical emission may be due to X-rays reprocessed by the companion star or the accretion disk. The stellar neighborhood of IC 342 X-1 lacks O stars and has a minimum age of ~10 Myr. This excludes the possibility that the surrounding nebula is powered by an energetic explosion of a single massive star that formed a black hole. We suggest that the nebula is most likely powered by an outflow from the X-ray source.
We present results for two Ultraluminous X-ray Sources (ULXs), IC 342 X-1 and IC 342 X-2, using two epochs of XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations separated by $sim$7 days. We observe little spectral or flux variability above 1 keV between epochs, with unabsorbed 0.3--30 keV luminosities being $1.04^{+0.08}_{-0.06} times 10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for IC 342 X-1 and $7.40pm0.20 times 10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$ for IC 342 X-2, so that both were observed in a similar, luminous state. Both sources have a high absorbing column in excess of the Galactic value. Neither source has a spectrum consistent with a black hole binary in low/hard state, and both ULXs exhibit strong curvature in their broadband X-ray spectra. This curvature rules out models that invoke a simple reflection-dominated spectrum with a broadened iron line and no cutoff in the illuminating power-law continuum. X-ray spectrum of IC 342 X-1 can be characterized by a soft disk-like black body component at low energies and a cool, optically thick Comptonization continuum at high energies, but unique physical interpretation of the spectral components remains challenging. The broadband spectrum of IC 342 X-2 can be fit by either a hot (3.8 keV) accretion disk, or a Comptonized continuum with no indication of a seed photon population. Although the seed photon component may be masked by soft excess emission unlikely to be associated with the binary system, combined with the high absorption column, it is more plausible that the broadband X-ray emission arises from a simple thin blackbody disk component. Secure identification of the origin of the spectral components in these sources will likely require broadband spectral variability studies.
We use XMM-Newton and Swift data to study spectral variability in the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), Holmberg IX X-1. The source luminosity varies by a factor 3-4, giving rise to corresponding spectral changes which are significant, but subtle, and not well tracked by a simple hardness ratio. Instead, we co-add the Swift data in intensity bins and do full spectral fitting with disc plus thermal Comptonisation models. All the data are well-fitted by a low temperature, optically thick Comptonising corona, and the variability can be roughly characterised by decreasing temperature and increasing optical depth as the source becomes brighter, as expected if the corona is becoming progressively mass loaded by material blown off the super-Eddington inner disc. This variability behaviour is seen in other ULX which have similar spectra, but is opposite to the trend seen in ULX with much softer spectra. This supports the idea that there are two distinct physical regimes in ULXs, where the spectra go from being dominated by a disc-corona to being dominated by a wind.
In order to elucidate the emission properties of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) during their power-law (PL) state, we examined long-term X-ray spectral data of IC342 X-1 during its PL state by using our own Suzaku data and the archival data by XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Swift observations. The PL state of this source seems to be classified into two sub-states in terms of the X-ray luminosities in 0.5-10 keV: the low luminosity PL state with 4-6*10^{39} erg/s and the high luminosity one with 1.1-1.4*10^{40} erg/s. During the Suzaku observations which were made in 2010 August and 2011 March, X-1 stayed in the low luminosity PL state. The observed X-ray luminosity (4.9-5.6*10^{39} erg/s) and the spectral shape (photon index = 1.67-1.83) slightly changed between the two observations. Using the Suzaku PIN detector, we for the first time confirmed a PL tail extending up to at least 20 keV with no signatures of a high-energy turnover in both of the Suzaku observations. In contrast, a turnover at about 6 keV was observed during the high luminosity PL state in 2004 and 2005 with XMM-Newton. Importantly, photon indices are similar between the two PL states and so is the Compton y-parameters of y ~ 1, which indicates a similar energy balance (between the corona and the accretion disk) holding in the two PL states despite different electron temperatures. From spectral similarities with recent studies about other ULXs and the Galactic black hole binary GRS1915+105, IC342 X-1 is also likely to be in a state with a supercritical accretion rate, although more sensitive higher energy observations would be necessary to conclude.
Studies of X-ray continuum emission and flux variability have not conclusively revealed the nature of ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) at the high-luminosity end of the distribution (those with Lx > 1e40 erg/s). These are of particular interest because the luminosity requires either super-Eddington accretion onto a black hole of mass ~10 Msun, or more standard accretion onto an intermediate-mass black hole. Super-Eddington accretion models predict strong outflowing winds, making atomic absorption lines a key diagnostic of the nature of extreme ULXs. To search for such features, we have undertaken a long, 500 ks observing campaign on Holmberg IX X-1 with Suzaku. This is the most sensitive dataset in the iron K bandpass for a bright, isolated ULX to date, yet we find no statistically significant atomic features in either emission or absorption; any undetected narrow features must have equivalent widths less than 15-20 eV at 99% confidence. These limits are far below the >150 eV lines expected if observed trends between mass inflow and outflow rates extend into the super-Eddington regime, and in fact rule out the line strengths observed from disk winds in a variety of sub-Eddington black holes. We therefore cannot be viewing the central regions of Holmberg IX X-1 through any substantial column of material, ruling out models of spherical super-Eddington accretion. If Holmberg IX X-1 is a super-Eddington source, any associated outflow must have an anisotropic geometry. Finally, the lack of iron emission suggests that the stellar companion cannot be launching a strong wind, and that Holmberg IX X-1 must primarily accrete via roche-lobe overflow.
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