84 research outputs found
Around 200 new X-ray binary IDs from 13 years of Chandra observations of the M31 center
We have created 0.3--10 keV, 13 year, unabsorbed luminosity lightcurves for
528 X-ray sources in the central 20' of M31. We have 174 Chandra observations
spaced at ~1 month intervals thanks to our transient monitoring program, deeper
observations of the M31 nucleus, and some public data from other surveys. We
created 0.5--4.5 keV structure functions (SFs) for each source, for comparison
with the ensemble structure function of AGN. We find 220 X-ray sources with
luminosities > ~1E+35 erg/s that have SFs with significantly more variability
than the ensemble AGN SF, and are likely X-ray binaries (XBs). A further 30
X-ray sources were identified as XBs using other methods. We therefore have 250
probable XBs in total, including ~200 new identifications. This result
represents great progress over the ~50 XBs and ~40 XB candidates previously
identified out of the ~2000 X-ray sources within the D_25 region of M31; it
also demonstrates the power of SF analysis for identifying XBs in external
galaxies. We also identify a new transient black hole candidate, associated
with the M31 globular cluster B128.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 20 pages, 7 figures; Tables 1 and 2
continue after the references (8 pages
Determining X-Ray Source Intensity and Confidence Bounds in Crowded Fields
We present a rigorous description of the general problem of aperture
photometry in high energy astrophysics photon-count images, in which the
statistical noise model is Poisson, not Gaussian. We compute the full posterior
probability density function for the expected source intensity for various
cases of interest, including the important cases in which both source and
background apertures contain contributions from the source, and when multiple
source apertures partially overlap. A Bayesian approach offers the advantages
that it allows one to (a) include explicit prior information on source
intensities, (b) propagate posterior distributions as priors for future
observations, and (c) use Poisson likelihoods, making the treatment valid in
the low counts regime. Elements of this approach have been implemented in the
Chandra Source Catalog.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures. Fixed typos and incorrect statement at end of
4.2.3. Results unchange
Detection of x ray sources in PROS
The problem of detecting discrete sources in x-ray images has much in common with the problem of automatic source detection at other wavelengths. In all cases, one searches for positive brightness enhancements exceeding a certain threshold, which appear consistent with what one expects for a point source, in the presence of a (possibly) spatially variable background. Multidimensional point spread functions (e.g., dependent on detector position and photon energy) are also common. At the same time, the problem in x-ray astronomy has some unique aspects. For example, for typical x-ray exposures in current or recent observatories, the number of available pixels far exceeds the number of actual x-ray events, so Poisson, rather than Gaussian statistics apply. Further, extended cosmic x-ray sources are common, and one often desires to detect point sources in the vicinity or even within bright, diffuse x-ray emission. Finally, support structures in x-ray detectors often cast sharp shadows in x-ray images making it necessary to detect sources in a region of rapidly varying exposure. We have developed a source detection package within the IRAF/PROS environment which attempts to deal with some of the problems of x-ray source detection. We have patterned our package after the successful Einstein Observatory x-ray source detection programs. However, we have attempted to improve the flexibility and accessibility of the functions and to provide a graphical front-end for the user. Our philosophy has been to use standard IRAF tasks whenever possible for image manipulation and to separate general functions from mission-specific ones. We will report on the current status of the package and discuss future developments, including simulation tasks, to allow the user to assess detection efficiency and source significance, tasks to determine source intensity, and alternative detection algorithms
Dwarf Galaxies of the Local Group
XMM-Newton and Chandra have ushered in a new era for the study of dwarf
galaxies in the Local Group. We provide an overview of the opportunities,
challenges, and some early results. The large number of background sources
relative to galaxy sources is a major theme. Despite this challenge, the
identification of counterparts has been possible, providing hints that the same
mechanisms producing X-ray sources in larger galaxies are active in dwarf
galaxies. A supersoft X-ray source within 2" of the supermassive black hole in
M32 may be a remnant of the tidal disruption of a giant, although other
explanations cannot be ruled out.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings for 2004 IAU symposiu
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