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arXiv 1106.0197astro-ph.HE
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2XMM超铝X射线候选源

2XMM Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Candidates in Nearby Galaxies

D. J. Walton, T. P. Roberts, S. Mateos, V. Heard

摘要:

超铝X射线源(ULX)是迄今为止已知的最神秘的X射线亮源之一。人们普遍认为,它们不可能拥有像活动星系那样大的黑洞,但它们似乎比更好理解的银河系X射线双星(XRB)表兄弟更明亮,同时显示出与它们的差异和相似之处的有趣组合。通过研究这些来源的大量有代表性的样本,我们可能希望加强我们对它们的理解。为此,我们得到了一个大型目录的650 X射线探测470 ULX候选人,位于238个附近的星系,通过交叉相关的2XMM偶然调查与第三参考目录的明亮Galeries。与以前发表的目录相比,所提出的专门目录在数量和背景污染物的贡献方面都有重大改进,例如遥远的类星体,我们估计最多为24%,但更有可能为17%。我们定义了一个“完整的”源子样本,它是从对灵敏度极限低于10^39 erg/s的星系的观测中汇编而成的。该样品的光度函数符合简单的幂律。虽然我们没有发现任何统计要求的高光度截止,如以前报道的那样,我们不能排除它的存在。此外,我们发现,每单位星系质量的ULXs的数量随着与螺旋星系相关的ULXs的星系质量的增加而减少,与以前的结果广泛一致,但与椭圆星系相关的源的星系质量是恒定的。

英文摘要:

Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are some of the most enigmatic X-ray bright sources known to date. It is generally accepted that they cannot host black holes as large as those associated with active galaxies, but they appear to be significantly more luminous than their better understood Galactic X-ray binary (XRB) cousins, while displaying an intriguing combination of differences and similarities with them. Through studying large, representative samples of these sources we may hope to enhance our understanding of them. To this end, we derive a large catalogue of 650 X-ray detections of 470 ULX candidates, located in 238 nearby galaxies, by cross correlating the 2XMM Serendipitous Survey with the Third Reference Catalogue of Bright Galaxies. The presented dedicated catalogue offers a significant improvement over those previously published both in terms of number and the contribution of background contaminants, e.g. distant quasars, which we estimate to be at most 24 per cent, but more likely ~17 per cent. To undertake population studies, we define a `complete' sub-sample of sources compiled from observations of galaxies with sensitivity limits below 10^39 erg/s. The luminosity function of this sample is consistent with a simple power-law. Although we do not find any statistical requirement for a high luminosity cut-off, as has been reported previously, we are not able to rule out its presence. Also, we find that the number of ULXs per unit galaxy mass decreases with increasing galaxy mass for ULXs associated with spiral galaxies, in broad agreement with previous results, but is consistent with being constant with galaxy mass for sources associated with elliptical galaxies.

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