The Orbital Period of the Ultraluminous X-ray Source in M82

Abstract

The ultraluminous x-ray source (ULX) in the galaxy M82 has been identified as a possible intermediate-mass black hole. We have found that the x-ray flux from M82 is modulated with a peak-to-peak amplitude corresponding to an isotropic luminosity of 2.4x10^40 erg/s in M82 and a period of 62.0 +/- 2.5 days, which we interpret as the orbital period of the ULX binary. This orbital period implies that the mass-donor star must be a giant or supergiant. Large mass-transfer rates, sufficient to fuel the ULX, are expected for a giant-phase mass donor in an x-ray binary. The giant phase has a short lifetime, indicating that we see the ULX in M82 in a brief and unusual period of its evolution.

3 pages, appeared in Science

Cited by in corpus (12)

• Ultraluminous X-ray sources
• A 62 Day X-Ray Periodicity and an X-Ray Flare from the Ultraluminous X-Ray Source in M82
• Spectral State Transitions of the Ultraluminous X-ray Sources X-1 and X-2 in NGC 1313
• The ultra-luminous X-ray source in M82: an intermediate mass black hole with a giant companion
• Confirmation of the 62 Day X-Ray Periodicity from M82
• Chandra monitoring observations of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1
• Modeling the light curves of ultraluminous X-ray sources as precession
• CO+ in M 82: A Consequence of Irradiation by X-rays
• A Comparison of Ultraluminous X-ray Sources in NGC 1399 and the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039)
• A catalogue of ULX coincidences with FIRST radio sources
• The impact of precession on the observed population of ULXs
• Study of accretion flows around an ultraluminous X-ray source M82 X-1 using NuSTAR data