2006MNRAS.370L...6P -
Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 370, L6-L9 (2006/July-3)
The ultraluminous X-ray source in M 82: an intermediate-mass black hole with a giant companion.
PATRUNO A., PORTEGIES ZWART S., DEWI J. and HOPMAN C.
Abstract (from CDS):
The starburst galaxy M82, at a distance of 12 million light years, is the host of an unusually bright 2.4-16x1040erg/s X-ray point source, which is best explained by an accreting black hole 102 to 104 times more massive than the Sun. Though the strongest candidate for a so-called intermediate-mass black hole, the only support stems from the observed luminosity and the 0.05-0.1Hz quasi-periodicity in its signal. Interestingly, the 7-12Myr old star cluster MGG-11 which has been associated with the X-ray source is sufficiently dense that an intermediate mass black hole could have been produced in the cluster core via collision runaway. The recently discovered 62.0±2.5 d periodicity in the X-ray source X-1 further supports the hypothesis that this source is powered by a black hole several hundred times more massive than the Sun. We perform detailed binary evolution simulations with an accreting compact object of 10-5000M☉ and find that the X-ray luminosity, the age of the cluster, the observed quasi-periodic oscillations and the now observed orbital period are explained best by a black hole of 200-5000M☉ that accretes material from a 22-25M☉ giant companion in a state of Roche-lobe contact. Interestingly, such a companion star is consistent with the expectation based on the tidal capture in a young and dense star cluster such as MGG-11, making the picture self-consistent.
Abstract Copyright:
2006 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2006 RAS
Journal keyword(s):
black hole physics - galaxies: starbursts - X-rays: binaries
Simbad objects:
6
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