TRANSITION TO THE DISK DOMINANT STATE OF A NEW 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 identification of a third, new ultraluminous X-ray source in the starburst galaxy M82. Previously, the source was observed at fluxes consistent with the high state of Galactic black hole binaries (BHBs). We observe fluxes up to (6.5 {+-} 0.3) x 10{sup 39} erg s{sup -1} in the ultraluminous regime. When the source is not in the low/hard state, spectral fitting using a multicolor disk model shows that the disk luminosity varies as the disk inner temperature raised to the power 4.8 {+-} 0.9, consistent with the behavior of Galactic BHBs in the thermal dominant state. Fitting the spectrum with a multicolor disk model with general relativistic corrections suggests that the source harbors a rapidly spinning black hole with a mass less than 100 solar masses. A soft excess was found in the source spectrum that could be blackbody emission from a photosphere created by a massive outflow. The source also showed soft dips during a flare.
- OSTI ID:
- 21450858
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 716, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/716/1/181; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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