The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82

Details The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82 The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82

2006-03-24

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603653v1

Science 27 January 2006: Vol. 311. no. 5760, p. 491

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

3 pages, appeared in Science

Scientific paper

10.1126/science.1121067

The ultraluminous x-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy M82 has been identified as a possible intermediate-mass black hole. We have found that the x-ray flux from M82 is modulated with a peak-to-peak amplitude corresponding to an isotropic luminosity of 2.4x10^40 erg/s in M82 and a period of 62.0 +/- 2.5 days, which we interpret as the orbital period of the ULX binary. This orbital period implies that the mass-donor star must be a giant or supergiant. Large mass-transfer rates, sufficient to fuel the ULX, are expected for a giant-phase mass donor in an x-ray binary. The giant phase has a short lifetime, indicating that we see the ULX in M82 in a brief and unusual period of its evolution.

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