The Black Hole X-ray Binary Population of M51 as seen by Chandra
Abstract
We present an analysis of the black hole X-ray binary population of the interacting galaxy system M51 from new and archival observations by the Chandra X-ray Observatory with total exposure time of nearly 1 Ms. This dataset allows us to probe spectral and temporal variability of the X-ray source population on timescales ranging from tens of seconds to years. We examine both the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) population, which likely consists of black hole binaries based solely on luminosity, and the less luminous binaries that show evidence for harboring black holes. We further examine the environments of these sources within the host galaxy using new and archival Hubble Space Telescope observations to determine the probable mass donor stars in the system. We also present initial results from an effort to study the interaction of the luminous X-ray binaries with the interstellar medium of M51. This sample includes all of the historical ULXs as well as a new transient ULX which is a probable black hole low mass X-ray binary.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #224
- Pub Date:
- June 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22431402K