TWO CANDIDATE OPTICAL COUNTERPARTS OF M82 X-1 FROM HST OBSERVATIONS
- Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012 (China)
Optical counterparts can provide significant constraints on the physical nature of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). In this Letter, we identify six point sources in the error circle of a ULX in M82, namely M82 X-1, by registering Chandra positions onto Hubble Space Telescope images. Two objects are considered as optical counterpart candidates of M82 X-1, which show F658N flux excess compared to the optical continuum that may suggest the existence of an accretion disk. The spectral energy distributions of the two candidates match well with the spectra for supergiants, with stellar types as F5-G0 and B5-G0, respectively. Deep spatially resolved spectroscopic follow-up and detailed studies are needed to identify the true companion and confirm the properties of this BH system.
- OSTI ID:
- 22518770
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 812, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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