DISCOVERY OF MILLIHERTZ X-RAY OSCILLATIONS IN A TRANSIENT ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE IN M82
- Department of Engineering Physics and Center for Astrophysics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States)
We report on the discovery of X-ray quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) at frequencies of 3-4 mHz from a transient ultraluminous X-ray source X42.3+59 in M82. The QPOs are strong and broad and appear with weak or absent red noise, and are detected only in Chandra observations when the source is brighter than 10{sup 40} erg s{sup -1}. The QPO behavior is similar to the type A-I QPOs found in XTE J1550 - 564, which is a subclass of low-frequency QPOs with properties in between types A and B. Therefore, we identify the QPOs in X42.3+59 as of type A or B and rule out the possibility of type C. With this identification, the mass of the black hole in X42.3+59 can be inferred as in the range of 12,000-43,000 solar masses by scaling the QPO frequency to that of the type A/B QPOs in stellar mass black holes. Cool disk emission is detected in one Chandra observation, and the disk inner radius suggests a similar black hole mass range. Black holes of such a high mass are able to produce an energy output in a manner similar to X42.3+59 by accreting from the interstellar medium directly.
- OSTI ID:
- 21301284
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 710, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/710/2/L137; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
IDENTIFICATION OF THE X-RAY THERMAL DOMINANT STATE IN AN ULTRALUMINOUS X-RAY SOURCE IN M82
A broadband X-ray spectal study of the intermediate-mass black hold candidate M82 X-1 with NuSTAR, Chandra, AND Swift