Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011head...12.0109s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, HEAD meeting #12, #1.09
Other
Scientific paper
We have discovered a new ultraluminous X-ray source in the spiral galaxy M83 using new Chandra data obtained in 2010 December. We have followed its brightness and spectral evolution with Chandra and Swift over the past several months. The source, which is located in an uncrowded interarm region, was not present in Chandra data taken in 2000, implying that its X-ray brightness has increased by at least three orders of magnitude, an unusual behavior for ULXs. In contrast to many other ULXs, this source is not located in a region of recent (< 50 Myr) star formation. Its likely optical counterpart, observed with Gemini-South in April 2011 during the X-ray luminous phase, is a blue star with absolute magnitude R -3 mag, U-R -1.3 mag. This would be consistent with a B0-B1 star, as in several other ULXs. There is no blue star present in HST/WFC3 images obtained in 2009 Aug-Sep, indicating that the source has probably turned on since that time. We suggest that its current luminosity and colors are consistent with an X-ray irradiated low-mass giant. Thus, the M83 source could be an example of LMXB ULX, fed by a strongly irradiated low-mass donor. Its duty cycle properties may be different from those of younger, persistent ULXs fed by a Roche-lobe-filling OB star. The results presented here are part of an ongoing deep X-ray/optical/radio study of the cycle of star formation and stellar remnants in M83.
Bianchi Luciana
Blair William Patrick
Ghavamian Parviz
Kuntz Kip D.
Long Knox S.
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