Faint X-ray Binaries and Their Optical Counterparts in M31

Abstract

X-ray binaries (XRBs) are probes of both star formation and stellar mass, but more importantly remain one of the only direct tracers of the compact object population. To investigate the XRB population in M31, we utilized all 121 publicly available observations of M31 totalling over 1 Ms from $Chandr{a}^{\prime }s$ ACIS instrument. We studied 83 star clusters in the bulge using the year 1 star cluster catalogue from the Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury Survey. We found 15 unique star clusters that matched to 17 X-ray point sources within 1'' (3.8 pc). This population is composed predominantly of globular cluster low-mass XRBs, with one previously unidentified star cluster X-ray source. Star clusters that were brighter and more compact preferentially hosted an X-ray source. Specifically, logistic regression showed that the F475W magnitude was the most important predictor followed by the effective radius, while color (F475W$-$F814W) was not statistically significant. We also completed a matching analysis of 1566 HII regions and found 10 unique matches to 9 X-ray point sources within 3'' (11 pc). The HII regions hosting X-ray point sources were on average more compact than unmatched HII regions, but logistic regression concluded that neither the radius nor H$\alpha$ luminosity was a significant predictor. Four matches have no previous classification and thus are high-mass XRB candidates. A stacking analysis of both star clusters and HII regions resulted in non-detections, giving typical upper limits of $\approx 10^{32}$ erg s${}^{-1}$, which probes the quiescent XRB regime.

arXiv comment15 pages, 9 figures, 9 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal

References in corpus (78)

• Evolution of binary stars and the effect of tides on binary populations
• Evolution of asymptotic giant branch stars II. Optical to far-infrared isochrones with improved TP-AGB models
• Compact Object Modeling with the StarTrack Population Synthesis Code
• High Mass X-ray Binaries as a Star Formation Rate Indicator in Distant Galaxies
• The second US Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog (UCAC2)
• The 2-10 keV luminosity as a Star Formation Rate indicator
• X-ray emission from star-forming galaxies - I. High-mass X-ray binaries
• A Survey of Local Group Galaxies Currently Forming Stars. I. UBVRI Photometry of Stars in M31 and M33
• The Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury
• Low mass X-ray binaries as a stellar mass indicator for the host galaxy
• X-ray source populations in galaxies
• The Chandra Deep Field North Survey. V. 1 Ms Source Catalogs
• The Milky Way in X-rays for an outside observer: Log(N)-Log(S) and Luminosity Function of X-ray binaries from RXTE/ASM data
• Dynamical Formation of Close Binary Systems in Globular Clusters
• The Ultra-Luminous X-ray Source Population from the Chandra Archive of Galaxies
• A Chandra Perspective On Galaxy-Wide X-ray Binary Emission And Its Correlation With Star Formation Rate And Stellar Mass: New Results From Luminous Infrared Galaxies
• Innovations in the Analysis of Chandra-ACIS Observations
• The Chandra Deep Survey of the Hubble Deep Field North Area. II. Results from the Caltech Faint Field Galaxy Redshift Survey Area
• X-ray emission from star-forming galaxies - II. Hot interstellar medium
• X-ray Luminosity Function and Total Luminosity of LMXB in Early Type Galaxies
• A Deep Chandra Survey of the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae: Catalog of Point Sources
• Chandra observations of NGC 253: New insights into the nature of starburst-driven superwinds
• A Catalog of X-ray Point Sources from Two Megaseconds of Chandra Observations of the Galactic Center
• A Complete Sample of ULX Host Galaxies
• Spitzer/MIPS Infrared Imaging of M31: Further Evidence for a Spiral/Ring Composite Structure
• Analysis of the Quiescent Low-Mass X-ray Binary Population in Galactic Globular Clusters
• X-ray luminosity function of faint point sources in the Milky Way
• The X-ray Source Population of "The Antennae" Galaxies: X-ray Properties from Chandra and Multiwavelength Associations
• Star Clusters in M31: II. Old Cluster Metallicities and Ages from Hectospec Data
• 2XMM Ultraluminous X-Ray Source Candidates in Nearby Galaxies
• The Chandra Deep Survey of the Hubble Deep Field North Area. IV. An Ultradeep Image of the HDF-N
• X-ray Point Sources in The Central Region of M31 as seen by Chandra
• Chandra Survey of Nearby Highly-Inclined Disk Galaxies I: X-ray Measurements of Galactic Coronae
• The Low-Mass X-ray Binary and Globular Cluster Connection in Virgo Cluster Early-type Galaxies: Optical Properties
• Populating the Galaxy with low-mass X-ray binaries
• A Chandra X-ray Investigation of the Violent Interstellar Medium: From Dwarf Starbursts to Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies
• Faint X-ray Sources in the Globular Cluster Terzan 5
• The M31 globular cluster system: ugriz and K-band photometry and structural parameters
• A New Catalog of HII Regions in M31
• Population of persistent high mass X-ray binaries in the Milky Way
• The deep XMM-Newton Survey of M 31
• Discovery of a Second Transient Low-Mass X-ray Binary in the Globular Cluster NGC 6440
• The Chandra Deep Field North Survey. VII. X-ray Emission from Lyman Break Galaxies
• Low Mass X-Ray Binaries in Globular Clusters: A New Metallicity Effect
• Galactic star-formation rates gauged by stellar end-products
• PHAT Stellar Cluster Survey I. Year 1 Catalog and Integrated Photometry
• A Chandra High-Resolution Camera Observation of X-Ray Point Sources in M31
• Discovery of the Third Transient X-ray Binary in the Galactic Globular Cluster Terzan 5
• Clustering between high-mass X-ray binaries and OB associations in the Milky Way
• Distribution of High-Mass X-ray Binaries in the Milky Way
• A study of the population of LMXBs in the bulge of M31
• M31 Globular Cluster X-ray Sources: XMM-Newton and Chandra results
• A Synoptic X-ray Study of M31 with the Chandra-HRC
• Probing the GC-LMXB connection in NGC 1399: a wide-field study with HST and Chandra
• The dynamical formation of LMXBs in dense stellar environments: globular clusters and the inner bulge of M31
• Low-mass X-ray binaries in the bulge of the Milky Way
• Luminosity functions of LMXBs in different stellar environments
• The Chandra survey of the SMC "Bar": II. Optical counterparts of X-ray sources
• X-ray Point Sources in the Sombrero Galaxy: Supersoft sources, the globular cluster/LMXB connection, and an overview
• Metallicity Effect on LMXB Formation in Globular Clusters
• The Discovery of a Very Faint X-ray Transient in the Globular Cluster M15
• A systematic study of low mass X-ray binaries in the M31 globular cluster system
• The XMM-Newton SSC survey of the Galactic Plane
• 12 years of X-ray variability in M31 globular clusters, including 8 black hole candidates, as seen by Chandra
• X-ray source variability study of the M 31 central field using Chandra HRC-I
• The radial distribution of X-ray Binaries and Globular Clusters in NGC 4649 and their relation with the local stellar mass density
• Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33): The enigmatic X-ray emission from IC131
• X-ray Binaries and Star Clusters in the Antennae: Optical Cluster Counterparts
• The Local Environment of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources Viewed by XMM Newton's Optical Monitor
• Collective Properties of X-ray Binary Populations of Galaxies. I. Luminosity and Orbital Period Distributions of High-Mass X-ray Binaries
• X-ray source population study of the starburst galaxy M83 with XMM-Newton
• Around 200 new X-ray binary IDs from 13 years of Chandra observations of the M31 center
• An X-ray spectral survey of the disc of M31 with XMM-Newton
• Chandra identification of 26 new black hole candidates in the central region of M31
• A period distribution of X-ray binaries observed in the central region of M31 with Chandra and HST
• Stacking Star Clusters in M51: Searching for Faint X-Ray Binaries
• M31 globular cluster structures and the presence of X-ray binaries
• Collective Properties of X-ray Binary Populations of Galaxies II. Pre-Low-mass X-ray Binary Properties, Formation Rates, and Constraints

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Young Accreting Compact Objects in M31: The Combined Power of NuSTAR, Chandra, and Hubble
• The Spatial Correlation of High Mass X-ray Binaries and Young Star Clusters in Nearby Star-Forming Galaxies
• Milky Way Globular Cluster Metallicity and Low-Mass X-ray Binaries: The Red Giant Influence
• A Chandra Study of The Stellar X-ray Emissivity of Globular Clusters in M\,31 Bulge