Modeling X-ray binary evolution in normal galaxies: Insights from SINGS

Abstract

We present the largest-scale comparison to date between observed extragalactic X-ray binary (XRB) populations and theoretical models of their production. We construct observational X-ray luminosity functions (oXLFs) using Chandra observations of 12 late-type galaxies from the Spitzer Infrared Nearby Galaxy Survey (SINGS). For each galaxy, we obtain theoretical XLFs (tXLFs) by combining XRB synthetic models, constructed with the population synthesis code StarTrack, with observational star formation histories (SFHs). We identify highest-likelihood models both for individual galaxies and globally, averaged over the full galaxy sample. Individual tXLFs successfully reproduce about half of oXLFs, but for some galaxies we are unable to find underlying source populations, indicating that galaxy SFHs and metallicities are not well matched and/or XRB modeling requires calibration on larger observational samples. Given these limitations, we find that best models are consistent with a product of common envelope ejection efficiency and central donor concentration ~=0.1, and a 50% uniform -- 50% "twins" initial mass-ratio distribution. We present and discuss constituent subpopulations of tXLFs according to donor, accretor and stellar population characteristics. The galaxy-wide X-ray luminosity due to low-mass and high-mass XRBs, estimated via our best global model tXLF, follows the general trend expected from the L_x - star formation rate and L_x - stellar mass relations of Lehmer et al 2010. Our best models are also in agreement with modeling of the evolution both of XRBs over cosmic time and of the galaxy X-ray luminosity with redshift.

Accepted by ApJ

References in corpus (9)

• Binary interaction dominates the evolution of massive stars
• The ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey Treasury
• Populating the Galaxy with low-mass X-ray binaries
• The core binary fractions of star clusters from realistic simulations
• Chandra Multiwavelength Project X-ray Point Source Number Counts and the Cosmic X-ray Background
• Models for Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries in the Elliptical Galaxies NGC3379 and NGC4278: Comparison with Observations
• Low-mass X-ray binaries in the bulge of the Milky Way
• Transient Low-Mass X-Ray Binary Populations in Elliptical Galaxies NGC 3379 and NGC 4278
• The galaxy luminosity function and its evolution with Chandra

Cited by in corpus (22)

• Radiation Backgrounds at Cosmic Dawn: X-Rays from Compact Binaries
• The Evolution of Normal Galaxy X-ray Emission Through Cosmic History: Constraints from the 6 Ms Chandra Deep Field-South
• POSYDON: A General-Purpose Population Synthesis Code with Detailed Binary-Evolution Simulations
• X-ray binaries as the origin of nebular HeII emission in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies
• X-ray Binary Luminosity Function Scaling Relations for Local Galaxies Based on Subgalactic Modeling
• X-rays across the galaxy population I: tracing the main sequence of star formation
• The Metallicity Dependence of the High-Mass X-ray Binary Luminosity Function
• Star-formation history and X-ray binary populations: the case of the Large Magellanic Cloud
• A Deep Chandra ACIS Survey of M83
• On the Formation of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources with Neutron Star Accretors: the Case of M82 X-2
• On the Spatially Resolved Star-Formation History in M51 II: X-ray Binary Population Evolution
• The Two-Dimensional Spatial Distributions of the Globular Clusters and Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries of NGC4649
• dart_board: Binary Population Synthesis with Markov Chain Monte Carlo
• Population synthesis on high-mass X-ray binaries: prospects and constraints from the universal X-ray luminosity function
• X-ray luminosity function of high-mass X-ray binaries: Studying the signatures of different physical processes using detailed binary evolution calculations
• A new candidate Wolf-Rayet X-ray binary in NGC 253
• A new automated tool for the spectral classification of OB stars
• X-ray Binaries in External Galaxies
• Gravitational Waves from Supernova Mass Loss and Natal Kicks in Close Binaries
• Monitoring the X-ray Variability of Bright X-ray Sources in M33
• The X-ray binaries in M83: will any of them form gravitational wave sources for LIGO/VIRGO/KAGRA?
• A NuSTAR Census of the X-ray Binary Population of the M31 Disk