Ultra-luminous X-ray sources and remnants of massive metal-poor stars

Mapelli, Michela; Ripamonti, E.; Zampieri, L.; Colpi, M.; Bressan, A.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.17048.x

Cited by 165 publications

(228 citation statements)

References 142 publications

(123 reference statements)

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“…Independent evidence exists for increased numbers of ULXs in lowmetallicity environments (Swartz et al 2008;Mapelli et al 2010;Kaaret et al 2011;Prestwich et al 2013) consistent with what we detect here.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Exploring X-Ray Binary Populations in Compact Group Galaxies With Chandra

Tzanavaris

Hornschemeier²,

Gallagher

et al. 2016

ApJ

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We obtain total galaxy X-ray luminosities, L X , originating from individually detected point sources in a sample of 47 galaxies in 15 compact groups of galaxies (CGs). For the great majority of our galaxies, we find that the detected point sources most likely are local to their associated galaxy, and are thus extragalactic X-ray binaries (XRBs) or nuclear active galactic nuclei (AGNs). For spiral and irregular galaxies, we find that, after accounting for AGNs and nuclear sources, most CG galaxies are either within the ±1σ scatter of the Mineo et al. L X -star formation rate (SFR) correlation or have higher L X than predicted by this correlation for their SFR. We discuss how these "excesses" may be due to low metallicities and high interaction levels. For elliptical and S0 galaxies, after accounting for AGNs and nuclear sources, most CG galaxies are consistent with the Boroson et al. L X -stellar mass correlation for low-mass XRBs, with larger scatter, likely due to residual effects such as AGN activity or hot gas. Assuming non-nuclear sources are low-or high-mass XRBs, we use appropriate XRB luminosity functions to estimate the probability that stochastic effects can lead to such extreme L X values. We find that, although stochastic effects do not in general appear to be important, for some galaxies there is a significant probability that high L X values can be observed due to strong XRB variability.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Exploring X-Ray Binary Populations in Compact Group Galaxies With Chandra

Tzanavaris

Hornschemeier²,

Gallagher

et al. 2016

ApJ

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“…In contrast, 9 sources of the 21 detected in the Chandra image of the main ring of the Cartwheel galaxy (Gao et al 2003;Wolter et al 2006) have L x in excess of 10 40 erg s −1 even though the distance of the Cartwheel is comparable to that of Arp 147 and the image of the Cartwheel was obtained in a 75 ks exposure. The Cartwheel has a reported SFR of 20 M yr −1 (Mapelli et al 2010), compared to our finding of ∼7 M yr −1 for Arp 147. Simply scaling by the relative SFRs, we might expect three sources in Arp 147 with L x in excess of 10 40 erg s −1 , while none is seen.…”

Section: Discussion and Summarycontrasting

confidence: 47%

“…Another possible difference may be the metallicities of the two galaxies. The Cartwheel has Z 0.14 Z and this may well enhance the formation rate of massive, but not IMBH, black holes (see, e.g., Mapelli et al 2009Mapelli et al , 2010. We are unaware of any metallicity determinations for Arp 147.…”

Section: Discussion and Summarymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This takes into account the fact that the current observations were only sensitive to sources a factor of about 7 more luminous than the Grimm et al (2003) threshold luminosity, and an assumed differential luminosity function ∝ L −1.7 (as discussed in Section 3). We can also utilize the analogous expression given by Mapelli et al (2010):…”

Section: The Star Formation Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

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Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources in Arp 147

Rappaport

Levine

Pooley

et al. 2010

ApJ

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The Chandra X-Ray Observatory was used to image the collisional ring galaxy Arp 147 for 42 ks. We detect nine X-ray sources with luminosities in the range of (1.4-7) × 10 39 erg s −1 (assuming that the sources emit isotropically) in or near the blue knots of star formation associated with the ring. A source with an X-ray luminosity of 1.4 × 10 40 erg s −1 is detected in the nuclear region of the intruder galaxy. X-ray sources associated with a foreground star and a background quasar are used to improve the registration of the X-ray image with respect to Hubble Space Telescope (HST) high-resolution optical images. The intruder galaxy, which apparently contained little gas before the collision, shows no X-ray sources other than the one in the nuclear bulge which may be a poorly fed supermassive black hole. These observations confirm the conventional wisdom that collisions of gas-rich galaxies trigger large rates of star formation which, in turn, generate substantial numbers of X-ray sources, some of which have luminosities above the Eddington limit for accreting stellar-mass black holes (i.e., ultraluminous X-ray sources, "ULXs"). We also utilize archival Spitzer and Galex data to help constrain the current star formation rate in Arp 147 to ∼7 M yr −1 . All of these results, coupled with binary evolution models for ULXs, allow us to tentatively conclude that the most intense star formation may have ended some 15 Myr in the past.

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“…In this case, ULXs may be powered by either typical stellar mass black holes (sMBHs; <20 M ; Feng & Soria 2011) or massive stellar black holes (MsBHs;20-100 M ;Feng & Soria 2011), which may form from stellar collapse in regions of low metallic-E-mail: andrew.sutton@durham.ac.uk ity (Zampieri & Roberts 2009;Belczynski et al 2010;Mapelli et al 2010). Some ULX transients provide evidence in favour of stellar remnant black holes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irradiated, colour-temperature-corrected accretion discs in ultraluminous X-ray sources

Sutton¹,

Done²,

Roberts³

2014

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

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Although attempts have been made to constrain the stellar types of optical counterparts to ULXs, the detection of optical variability instead suggests that they may be dominated by reprocessed emission from X-rays which irradiate the outer accretion disc. Here, we report results from a combined X-ray and optical spectral study of a sample of ULXs, which were selected for having broadened disc-like X-ray spectra, and known optical counterparts. We simultaneously fit optical and X-ray data from ULXs with a new spectral model of emission from an irradiated, colour-temperaturecorrected accretion disc around a black hole, with a central Comptonising corona. We find that the ULXs require reprocessing fractions of ∼ 10 −3 , which is similar to sub-Eddington thermal dominant state BHBs, but less than has been reported for ULXs with soft ultraluminous X-ray spectra. We suggest that the reprocessing fraction may be due to the opposing effects of self-shielding in a geometrically thick super-critical accretion disc, and reflection from far above the central black hole by optically thin material ejected in a natal super-Eddington wind. Then, the higher reprocessing fractions reported for ULXs with wind-dominated X-ray spectra may be due to enhanced scattering onto the outer disc via the stronger wind in these objects. Alternatively, the accretion discs in these ULXs may not be particularly geometrically thick, rather they may be similar in this regard to the thermal dominant state BHBs.

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Ultra-luminous X-ray sources and remnants of massive metal-poor stars

Cited by 165 publications

References 142 publications

Exploring X-Ray Binary Populations in Compact Group Galaxies With Chandra

Exploring X-Ray Binary Populations in Compact Group Galaxies With Chandra

Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources in Arp 147

Irradiated, colour-temperature-corrected accretion discs in ultraluminous X-ray sources

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