588 research outputs found
Old and Young X-ray Point Source Populations in Nearby Galaxies
We analyzed 1441 Chandra X-ray point sources in 32 nearby galaxies. The total
point-source X-ray luminosity L_XP is well correlated with B, K, and FIR+UV
luminosities of spiral host galaxies, and with the B and K luminosities for
ellipticals. This suggests an intimate connection between L_XP and both the old
and young stellar populations, for which K and FIR+UV luminosities are proxies
for the galaxy mass M and star-formation rate SFR. We derive proportionality
constants 1.3E29 erg/s/Msol and 0.7E39 erg/s/(Msol/yr), which can be used to
estimate the old and young components from M and SFR, respectively. The
cumulative X-ray luminosity functions for the point sources have quite
different slopes for the spirals (gamma ~= 0.5-0.8) and ellipticals (gamma ~=
1.4), implying *the most luminous point sources dominate L_XP* for the spirals.
Most of the point sources have X-ray colors that are consistent with either
LMXBs or Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs a.k.a. IXOs) and we rule out
classical HMXBs (e.g. neutron-star X-ray pulsars) as contributing much to L_XP.
Thus, for spirals, the ULXs dominate L_XP. We estimate that >~20% of all ULXs
found in spirals originate from the older (pop II) stellar populations,
indicating that many of the ULXs that have been found in spiral galaxies are in
fact pop II ULXs, like those in elliptical galaxies. The linear dependence of
L_XP on the SFR argues for either a steepening in the X-ray luminosity function
of the young (pop I) X-ray source population at L_X >~10^(38.5-39) erg/s, or a
decreasing efficiency for producing all types of young X-ray point sources as
the galaxy SFR increases.Comment: 33 pages AASTEX, ApJ accepted. Please download full version with
figures from http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~colbert/chps_accepted.p
The X-ray Emission from the Nucleus of the Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy NGC 3226
We present the first high resolution X-ray image of the dwarf elliptical
galaxy NGC 3226. The data were obtained during an observation of the nearby
Seyfert Galaxy NGC 3227 using the Chandra X-ray Observatory. We detect a point
X-ray source spatially consistent with the optical nucleus of NGC 3226 and a
recently-detected, compact, flat-spectrum, radio source. The X-ray spectrum can
be measured up to ~10 keV and is consistent with a power law with a photon
index 1.7 <~ Gamma <~ 2.2, or thermal bremmstrahlung emission with 4 <~ kT <~
10 keV. In both cases the luminosity in the 2--10 keV band ~10^{40} h_{75}^{-1}
erg/s. We find marginal evidence that the nucleus varies within the
observation. These characteristics support evidence from other wavebands that
NGC 3226 harbors a low-luminosity, active nucleus. We also comment on two
previously-unknown, fainter X-ray sources <~ 15 arcsec from the nucleus of NGC
3226. Their proximity to the nucleus (with projected distances <~ 1.3/h_{75}
kpc) suggests both are within NGC 3226, and thus have luminosities (~few x
10^{38} -- few x 10^{39} erg/s) consistent with black-hole binary systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. Figures in colo
Evidence for Elevated X-ray Emission in Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs
In this paper, we study the relationship between the 2-10 keV X-ray
luminosity (L_X), assumed to originate from X-ray binaries (XRBs), and star
formation rate (SFR) in UV-selected z<0.1 Lyman break analogs (LBAs). We
present Chandra observations for four new GALEX-selected LBAs. Including
previously studied LBAs, Haro 11 and VV 114, we find that LBAs demonstrate
L_X/SFR ratios that are elevated by ~1.5sigma compared to local galaxies,
similar to the ratios found for stacked LBGs in the early Universe (z>2). We
show that these LBAs are unlikely to harbor AGN, based on their optical and
X-ray spectra and the spatial distribution of the X-rays in three spatially
extended cases. We expect that high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs) dominate the
X-ray emission in these galaxies, based on their high specific SFRs
(sSFRs=SFR/M* > 10^{-9}/yr), which suggest the prevalence of young stellar
populations. Since both LBAs and LBGs have lower dust attenuations and
metallicities compared to similar samples of more typical local galaxies, we
investigate the effects of dust extinction and metallicity on the L_X/SFR for
the broader population of galaxies with high sSFRs (>10^{-10}/yr). The
estimated dust extinctions (corresponding to column densities of
N_H<10^{22}/cm^2) are expected to have insignificant effects on observed
L_X/SFR ratio for the majority of galaxy samples. We find that the observed
relationship between L_X/SFR and metallicity appears consistent with
theoretical expectations from X-ray binary population synthesis models.
Therefore, we conclude that lower metallicities, related to more luminous HMXBs
such as ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), drive the elevated L_X/SFR observed
in our sample of z<0.1 LBAs. The relatively metal-poor, active mode of star
formation in LBAs and distant z>2 LBGs may yield higher total HMXB luminosity
than found in typical galaxies in the local Universe.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, Submitted to ApJ (references updated in v2
Chandra Reveals Heavy Obscuration and Circumnuclear Star Formation in Seyfert 2 Galaxy NGC 4968
We present the Chandra imaging and spectral analysis of NGC 4968, a nearby (z
= 0.00986) Seyfert 2 galaxy. We discover extended (1 kpc) X-ray emission
in the soft band (0.5 - 2 keV) that is neither coincident with the narrow line
region nor the extended radio emission. Based on spectral modeling, it is
linked to on-going star formation (2.6-4 M_{\sun} yr). The soft
emission at circumnuclear scales (inner 400 pc) originates from hot gas,
with kT 0.7 keV, while the most extended thermal emission is cooler (kT
0.3 keV). We refine previous measurements of the extreme Fe K
equivalent width in this source (EW = 2.5 keV), which suggests
the central engine is completely embedded within Compton-thick levels of
obscuration. Using physically motivated models fit to the Chandra spectrum, we
derive a Compton-thick column density (
cm) and an intrinsic hard (2-10 keV) X-ray luminosity of
3-8 erg s (depending on the presumed geometry of
the obscurer), which is over two orders of magnitude larger than that observed.
The large Fe K EW suggests a spherical covering geometry, which could
be confirmed with X-ray measurements above 10 keV. NGC 4968 is similar to other
active galaxies that exhibit extreme Fe K EWs (i.e., 2 keV) in that
they also contain ongoing star formation. This work supports the idea that gas
associated with nuclear star formation may increase the covering factor of the
enshrouding gas and play a role in obscuring AGN.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in Ap
Astro 2020 Science White Paper: Time Domain Studies of Neutron Star and Black Hole Populations: X-ray Identification of Compact Object Types
What are the most important conditions and processes governing the growth of
stellar-origin compact objects? The identification of compact object type as
either black hole (BH) or neutron star (NS) is fundamental to understanding
their formation and evolution. To date, time-domain determination of compact
object type remains a relatively untapped tool. Measurement of orbital periods,
pulsations, and bursts will lead to a revolution in the study of the
demographics of NS and BH populations, linking source phenomena to accretion
and galaxy parameters (e.g., star formation, metallicity). To perform these
measurements over sufficient parameter space, a combination of a wide-field
(>5000 deg^2) transient X-ray monitor over a dynamic energy range (~1-100 keV)
and an X-ray telescope for deep surveys with <5 arcsec PSF half-energy width
(HEW) angular resolution are required. Synergy with multiwavelength data for
characterizing the underlying stellar population will transform our
understanding of the time domain properties of transient sources, helping to
explain details of supernova explosions and gravitational wave event rates.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to the Astro2020 Decadal Surve
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