Identification of the X-Ray Thermal Dominant State in an Ultraluminous X-Ray Source in M82

Abstract

The thermal dominant state in black hole binaries (BHBs) is well understood but rarely seen in ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). Using simultaneous observations of M82 with Chandra and XMM-Newton, we report the first likely identification of the thermal dominant state in a ULX based on the disappearance of X-ray oscillations, low timing noise, and a spectrum dominated by multicolor disk emission with luminosity varying to the 4th power of the disk temperature. This indicates that ULXs are similar to Galactic BHBs. The brightest X-ray spectrum can be fitted with a relativistic disk model with either a highly super-Eddington (L_disk/L_Edd = 160) non-rotating black hole or a close to Eddington (L_disk/L_Edd ~ 2) rapidly rotating black hole. The latter interpretation is preferred, due to the absence of such highly super-Eddington states in Galactic black holes and active galactic nuclei, and suggests that the ULX in M82 contains a black hole of 200-800 solar masses with nearly maximal spin. On long timescales, the source normally stays at a relatively low flux level with a regular 62-day orbital modulation and occasionally exhibits irregular flaring activity. The thermal dominant states are all found during outbursts.

accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters

References in corpus (6)

• X-ray Properties of Black-Hole Binaries
• XMM-Newton observations of the brightest Ultraluminous X-ray sources
• The 2003 Outburst of the X-ray Transient H 1743-322: Comparisons with the Black Hole Microquasar XTE J1550-564
• A 62 Day X-Ray Periodicity and an X-Ray Flare from the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source in M82
• Confirmation of the 62 Day X-Ray Periodicity from M82
• No periodicity revealed for an "eclipsing" ultraluminous supersoft X-ray source in M81

Cited by in corpus (22)

• Observational evidence for intermediate-mass black holes
• A 400 solar mass black hole in the Ultraluminous X-ray source M82 X-1 accreting close to its Eddington limit
• ULX spectra revisited: Accreting, highly magnetized neutron stars as the engines of ultraluminous X-ray sources
• Long-term X-ray spectral evolution of Ultraluminous X-ray sources: implications on the accretion flow geometry and the nature of the accretor
• Nature of the soft ULX in NGC 247: super-Eddington outflow and transition between the supersoft and soft ultraluminous regimes
• Radiation Pressure-supported Accretion Disks: Vertical Structure, Energy Advection, and Convective Stability
• On the radio properties of the intermediate-mass black hole candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1
• Roche-lobe overflow systems powered by black holes in young star clusters: the importance of dynamical exchanges
• A broadband X-ray spectral study of the intermediate-mass black hole candidate M82 X-1 with NuSTAR, Chandra and Swift
• The hyperluminous X-ray source candidate in IC 4320: another HLX bites the dust
• Evolution of the spectral curvature in the ULX Holmberg II X-1
• Spectral evolution of the ultraluminous X-ray sources M82 X-1 and X-2
• Transition to the disk dominant state of a new ultraluminous X-ray source in M82
• Gravitational wave radiation from periodic orbits and quasi-periodic oscillations in Einstein non-linear Maxwell-Yukawa black hole
• Measuring the black hole mass in Ultraluminous X-ray Sources with the X-ray Scaling Method
• X-ray properties of two transient ULX candidates in galaxy NGC 7090
• Study of accretion flows around an ultraluminous X-ray source M82 X-1 using NuSTAR data
• Probing the nature of Einstein nonlinear Maxwell Yukawa black hole through gravitational wave forms from periodic orbits and quasiperiodic oscillations
• A likely Micro-quasar in the Shadow of M82 X-1
• Astrophysical Evidence of Wakefield Acceleration in Galactic and Extragalactic Jets via Gamma Rays and UHECRs
• A Multi-Mission Catalogue of Ultraluminous X-ray Source Candidates
• Spectral and Temporal Properties of Ultra-luminous X-ray Source NGC 55 ULX1