High resolution Chandra X-ray imaging of the nucleus of M33

Abstract

We show with a short Chandra HRC-S exposure that the powerful X-ray source coincident with the nucleus of M33 is unresolved at the highest spatial resolution available to date (0"4). The source flux is variable, doubling during the 5 ks exposure. The combination of properties exhibited by M33 X-8 establishes the source as the nearest example of the ultra-luminous X-ray sources that have been uncovered in other nearby galaxies. On short timescales, we set limits of 9% r.m.s. variability for pulsations in the 0.01-1000 Hz range.

arXiv commentaccepted for publication in A&A

References in corpus (9)

• Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources in External Galaxies
• Combined Long and Short Timescale X-ray Variability of NGC4051 with RXTE and XMM-Newton
• M33: A Galaxy with No Supermassive Black Hole
• Discovery of Recurring Soft to Hard State Transitions in LMC X-3
• A 106-d period in the nuclear source X-8 in M33
• Spectral variability of the nucleus of M33 in a Chandra-ACIS observation
• Chandra Observations of the Nucleus of M33
• BeppoSAX spectroscopy of the luminous X-ray sources in M33
• The Compact UV Nucleus of M33

Cited by in corpus (15)

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• The Coincidence of Nuclear Star Clusters and Active Galactic Nuclei
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• A census of X-ray nuclear activity in nearby galaxies
• The missing link: a low mass X-ray binary in M31 seen as an ultraluminous X-ray source
• X-ray spectral evolution in M33 X-8
• The Chandra ACIS Survey of M33 (ChASeM33): The final source catalog
• The X-ray binary population in M33: I. Source list and luminosity function
• NIR Counterparts to ULXs (III): Completing the photometric survey and selected spectroscopic results
• M - sigma relation between SMBHs and the velocity dispersion of globular cluster systems
• Spectral Analyses of the Nearest Persistent Ultraluminous X-Ray Source M33 X-8
• Central X-ray point-sources found to be abundant in low-mass, late-type galaxies predicted to contain an intermediate-mass black hole
• Swift-XRT 6-year monitoring of the ultraluminous X-ray source M33-X8
• NuSTAR observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source M33 X-8: a black hole in a very high state?
• A search for outstanding sources of PeV cosmic rays: Cassiopeia A, the Crab Nebula, the Monogem Ring--But how about M33 and the Virgo cluster?