Gas Accretion by Star Clusters and the Formation of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources from Cusps of Compact Remnants

Abstract

Here we show that the overabundance of ultra-luminous, compact X-ray sources (ULXs) associated with moderately young clusters in interacting galaxies such as the Antennae and Cartwheel can be given an alternative explanation that does not involve the presence of intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs). We argue that gas density within these systems is enhanced by the collective potential of the cluster prior to being accreted onto the individual cluster members and, as a result, the aggregate X-ray luminosity arising from the neutron star cluster members can exceed $>10^{39}\mathrm{erg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. Various observational tests to distinguish between IMBHs and accreting neutron star cusps are discussed.

4 pages, 3 figures, accepted to ApJL

References in corpus (8)

• A black hole in a globular cluster
• Gemini and Hubble Space Telescope Evidence for an Intermediate Mass Black Hole in omega Centauri
• Super Star Cluster Velocity Dispersions and Virial Masses in the M82 Nuclear Starburst
• Recurrent gas accretion by massive star clusters, multiple stellar populations and mass thresholds for spherical stellar systems
• Radio Emission from the Intermediate-mass Black Hole in the Globular Cluster G1
• Feedback in the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/9): I. High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Winds from Super Star Clusters
• Revisiting the Flip-Flop Instability of Hoyle-Lyttleton Accretion
• Gas Accretion by Globular Clusters and Nucleated Dwarf Galaxies and the Formation of the Arches and Quintuplet Clusters

Cited by in corpus (6)

• The Close Stellar Companions to Intermediate Mass Black Holes
• External Mass Accumulation onto Core Potentials: Implications for Star Clusters, Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters
• Bondi-Hoyle-Lyttleton Accretion onto Star Clusters
• The Role of Nuclear Star Clusters in Enhancing Supermassive Black Hole Feeding Rates During Galaxy Mergers
• Should I Stay or Should I Go: Stellar Wind Retention and Expulsion in Massive Star Clusters
• Illuminating black hole subsystems in young star clusters