M83XRBCXO - M 83 Chandra X-Ray Binary Classifications Using HST

Overview

Building on recent work by Chandar+ (2020, J/ApJ/890/150), the authors constructed X-ray luminosity functions (XLFs) for different classes of X-ray binary (XRB) donors in the nearby star-forming galaxy M 83. Rather than classifying low-versus high-mass XRBs based on the scaling of the number of X-ray sources with stellar mass and star formation rate, respectively, this catalog utilized multi-band Hubble Space Telescope imaging data to classify each Chandra-detected compact X-ray source as a low-mass (i.e., donor mass < ~3M_sun), high-mass (donor mass > ~8M_sun), or intermediate-mass XRB based on either the location of its candidate counterpart on optical color-magnitude diagrams or the age of its host star cluster. In addition to the standard (single and/or truncated) power-law functional shape, the authors approximated the resulting XLFs with a Schechter function. They identified a marginally significant (at the 1-sigma to 2-sigma level) exponential downturn for the high-mass XRB XLF, at l~38.48_-0.33^+0.52 (in log CGS units). In contrast, the low- and intermediate-mass XRB XLFs, as well as the total XLF of M 83, are formally consistent with sampling statistics from a single power law. This method suggests a non-negligible contribution from low- and possibly intermediate-mass XRBs to the total XRB XLF of M 83, i.e., between 20% and 50%, in broad agreement with X-ray-based XLFs. More generally, the authors caution against considerable contamination from X-ray emitting supernova remnants to the published, X-ray-based XLFs of M 83, and possibly all actively star-forming galaxies.

This table presents a fully classified catalog of X-ray sources in M 83 that builds upon the deep Chandra ACIS imaging data published in Lehmer+ 2019 (J/ApJS/243/3). Out of a total of 456 point-like sources brighter than 10³⁵erg/s, this work restricts the analysis to the 325 objects that fall within the M 83 HST footprint.

HST observations of M 83 were taken with the WFC3/UVIS instrument, spanning seven fields that each cover approximately 162" x 162" for a total mosaic area of ~43 arcmin². All observations were obtained between 2009 August and 2012 September by R. O'Connell (Prop ID. 11360) and W. Blair (Prop ID. 12513), with exposure times ranging from ~1.2 to 2.7 ks for each image. Images were downloaded from the Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA). In general, BVI images are created using the F438W, F547M, and F814W filters. The central field, which includes the galaxy nucleus, uses the broader F555W V-band filter, rather than F547M. The authors also use U-band images (F336W) to help calculate cluster ages.

Catalog Bibcode

2021ApJ...912...31H

References

Calibrating X-ray binary luminosity functions via optical reconnaissance.
I. The case of M83.
Hunt Q., Gallo E., Chandar R., Johns Mulia P., Mok A., Prestwich A., Liu S.
 <Astrophys. J., 912, 31 (2021)>
 =2021ApJ...912...31H

Provenance

This table was created by the HEASARC in March 2023 based upon the CDS Catalog J/ApJ/912/31 file tablea2.dat.

Parameters

Name
The M 83 source designation based on the source_number (XNNN) and given by '[LET2019] NGC 5236 NNN', as registered by the CDS Dictionary of Nomenclature, based on the X-ray sources presented in Table 7 of Lehmer et al. (2019, CDS Cat. J/ApJS/243/3).

CXO_Flag
The flag [YN] that indicates whether the source Is in the Chandra Sources Catalog (CSC) Release 2.0 (CDS Cat. IX/57).

CXO_Name
The Chandra Source Catalog (Release 2.0) source identifier (2CXO JHHMMSS.s+DDMMSS).

Alt_Name
The alternative source designation based on the source_number (NNN) and given by '[LKB2014] XNNN', as registered by the CDS Dictionary of Nomenclature, based on the X-ray sources presented in Tables 3 and 4 of Long et al. (2014, CDS Cat. J/ApJS/212/21), see M83CXO.

RA
The right ascension of the source, given in J2000.0 decimal degrees to a precision of 10^-6 degrees in the originating table.

Dec
The declination of the source, given in J2000.0 decimal degrees to a precision of 10^-6 degrees in the originating table.

LII
The galactic longitude of the source. This parameter has been added by the HEASARC and is derived from the J2000.0 source position.

BII
The galactic latitude of the source. This parameter has been added by the HEASARC and is derived from the J2000.0 source position.

Log_Lx
The logarithm of the X-ray luminosity in units of log erg/s.

Vmag
The absolute V-band magnitude estimated at a distance of 4.61 Mpc, based on the HST/WFC3 analysis.

BV_Color
The (B-V) color index, based on the HST/WFC3 analysis.

VI_Color
The (V-I) color index, based on the HST/WFC3 analysis.

Source_Type
The X-ray source classification based on multiwavelength spectral and temporal analysis, as described in Section 2 of the reference paper. Classifications in parentheses are objects with uncertain "candidate" classifications, as reported in M83CXO (Long+ 2014, J/ApJS/212/21) or as found by the methods for this work. Sources that were identified as candidate quasars are labeled "Gal". The source_type is designated as follows:

     HMXB    = XRB with high-mass donor (120 occurrences)
     SNR     = supernova remnant (101 occurrences)
     (SNR)   = SNR candidate (2 occurrences)
     IMXB    = intermediate-mass XRB (63 occurrences)
     LMXB    = XRB with low-mass donor (31 occurrences)
     AGN     = background AGN (4 occurrences)
     Gal     = background quasar candidate (3 occurrences)
     Nucleus = galaxy nucleus (1 occurrence)

Source_Type_Flag
The flag [i] Indicates either a supernova remnant (SNR) classification based on the hardness ratio-X-ray luminosity (HR-L_X) criterion discussed in Section 2 of the reference paper, or an X-ray binary (XRB) source associated with a star cluster.

Log_Age
The logarithm of the cluster age, in units of log years, for XRBs in clusters.

Confidence_Flag
The confidence flag assigned to each source based on the "strength" of the identification of the X-ray emitter: flags values of 1 indicate the most certain classifications (those determined in other studies, or XRBs with a clear donor, with multiple candidates of similar mass, or a clear absence of a donor); flag values of 2 or 3 may indicate that a source is in a dust-obscured region, such as near the nucleus or along a dust lane (since the presence of heavy dust could potentially mask high-mass stars, background galaxies, and clusters, leading to possible misidentifications), or that there are multiple sources of different masses within the 2-sigma radius.

Class
The HEASARC Browse object classification of the X-ray source, based on the value of the source_type parameter (q.v.).

Contact Person

Questions regarding the M83XRBCXO database table can be addressed to the HEASARC Help Desk.

Page Author: Browse Software Development Team
Last Modified: Friday, 03-Mar-2023 03:17:57 EST