Chandra observations of the luminous infrared galaxy NGC 3256

We present a detailed analysis of high-resolution Chandra observations of the merger system NGC 3256, the most infrared-luminous galaxy in the nearby universe. The X-ray data show that several discrete sources embedded in complex diffuse emission contribute ≳20 per cent of the total emission     in the  0.5–10 keV  energy range). The compact sources are hard and extremely bright and their emission is probably dominated by accretion-driven processes. Both galaxy nuclei are detected with  L_X∼3–10×10⁴⁰ erg s⁻¹  . No evidence is found for the presence of an active nucleus in the southern nucleus, contrary to previous speculation. Once the discrete sources are removed, the diffuse component has a soft spectrum that can be modelled by the superposition of three thermal plasma components with temperatures   kT =0.6  , 0.9 and 3.9 keV. Alternatively, the latter component can be described as a power law with index  Γ∼3  . Some evidence is found for a radial gradient of the amount of absorption and temperature of the diffuse component. We compare the X-ray emission with optical, H α and NICMOS images of NGC 3256 and find a good correlation between the inferred optical/near-infrared and X-ray extinctions. Although inverse Compton scattering could be important in explaining the hard X-rays seen in the compact sources associated with the nuclei, the observed diffuse emission is probably of thermal origin. The observed X-ray characteristics support a scenario in which the powerful X-ray emission is driven solely by the current episode of star formation.     

Chandra High-Resolution Camera observations of the luminous X-ray source in the starburst galaxy M82

We analyse Chandra High Resolution Camera observations of the starburst galaxy M82, concentrating on the most luminous X-ray source. We find a position for the source of         (J2000) with a 1 σ radial error of 0.7 arcsec. The accurate X-ray position shows that the luminous source is neither at the dynamical centre of M82 nor coincident with any suggested radio AGN candidate. The source is highly variable between observations, which suggests that it is a compact object and not a supernova or remnant. There is no significant short-term variability within the observations. Dynamical friction and the off-centre position place an upper bound of 10⁵–10⁶ M_⊙ on the mass of the object, depending on its age. The X-ray luminosity suggests a compact object mass of at least 500 M_⊙. Thus the luminous source in M82 may represent a new class of compact object with a mass intermediate between those of stellar-mass black hole candidates and supermassive black holes.     

Chandra HRC and HST observations of NGC 6240: resolving the active galactic nucleus and starburst

We present high spatial resolution X-ray Chandra HRC and HST WFPC2 H α observations of the prototypical infrared-luminous galaxy NGC 6240. The central region of this system shows a remarkably complex morphology, with filaments and loops observed in the optical and X-rays. The total X-ray luminosity is dominated by the extended emission. Both nuclei are clearly detected in the HRC image and both appear to be extended. The energetics of the nuclei imply that the southern nucleus is the more plausible counterpart to the obscured active galactic nucleus. The overall spectral energy distribution of the galaxy is in good agreement with a blend of starburst and AGN components that have similar bolometric luminosities,   L _bol∼5×10⁴⁵ erg s^-1  , with the starburst dominating the observed continuum in the near-infrared ( K band), optical and soft X-ray bands.     

Estimating the Metallicity of Old Star Clusters in M33

1 INTRODUCTION Globular clusters are thought to be among the oldest radiant objects in the Universe. Thestudies of these systems have played a key role in the development of our understanding of theUniverse, including the fundamental question of the age of the Universe. The globular clustersof Milky Way can be used to probe the way in which our Galaxy formed. Studies of similarclusters in other galaxies can also provide us the properties of those galaxies in the early periodafter their …     

Chandra unveils a binary active galactic nucleus in Mrk 463

We analyse Chandra , XMM–Newton and Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) data of the double-nucleus Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxy (ULIRG), Mrk 463. The Chandra detection of two luminous  ( L _2–10 keV= 1.5 × 10⁴³  and  3.8 × 10⁴² erg cm⁻² s⁻¹)  , unresolved nuclei in Mrk 463 indicates that this galaxy hosts a binary active galactic nucleus (AGN), with a projected separation of ≃3.8 kpc (  3.83 ± 0.01  arcsec). While the East nucleus was already known to be a type 2 Seyfert (and this is further confirmed by our Chandra detection of a neutral iron line), this is the first unambiguous evidence in favour of the AGN nature of the West nucleus. Mrk 463 is therefore the clearest case so far for a binary AGN, after NGC 6240.     

Long-term variability of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus of M81

Long-term X-ray variability of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleus of M81 was studied, using 16 ASCA observations spanning 5.5 yr. The object exhibits a factor of 3 variation over the 5.5 yr. The source intensity was relatively constant within each observation which lasted typically for one day, but intra-day variability by 30 per cent was detected on the 15th observation. The power-spectral density (PSD) was estimated in a 'forward' manner, over a frequency range of 10^−8.2–10^−4.3 Hz (period range of 0.25 d–5.5 yr), by utilizing the structure function and extensive Monte Carlo simulations in order to overcome the very sparse and uneven data samplings. When the PSD is assumed to be white below a 'break frequency' f _b and falls off as ∝  f ^{− α} above f _b, where f is frequency and α is a positive parameter, the M81 light curve is well described with 1/ f _b≥800 d and α =1.4±0.2.     

Age and Mass Estimates for 41 Star Clusters in M33

In this second paper of our series, we estimate the age of 41 star clusters, which were detected by Melnick & D'odorico in the nearby spiral galaxy M33, by comparing the integrated photometric measurements with theoretical stellar population synthesis models of Bruzual & Chariot. Also, we calculate the mass of these star clusters using the theoretical M/Lv ratio. The results show that, these star clusters formed continuously in M33 from ~ 7×106 - 1010 years and have masses between ~ 103 and 2×106 M⊙. M33 frames were observed as a part of the BATC Multicolor Survey of the sky in 13 intermediate-band niters from 3800 to 10 OOOA. The relation between age and mass confirms that the sample star cluster masses systematically decrease from the oldest to the youngest.     

Positions and Spectral Energy Distributions of 41 Star Clusters in M33

We present accurate positions and multi-color photometry for 41 star clusters detected by Melnick & D'odorico in the nearby spiral galaxy M33 as a part of the BATC Color Survey of the sky in 13 intermediate-band filters from 3800 to 10 000A. The coordinates of the clusters are found from the HST Guide Star Catalog. By aperture photometry, we obtain the spectral energy distributions of the clusters. Using the relations between the BATC intermediate-band system and UBVRI broadband system, we derive their V magnitudes and B - V colors and find that most of them are blue, which is consistent with previous findings.     

Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 1835

We present the analysis of 30 ks of Chandra observations of the galaxy cluster Abell 1835. Overall, the X-ray image shows a relaxed morphology, although we detect substructure in the inner 30-kpc radius. Spectral analysis shows a steep drop in the X-ray gas temperature from ∼12 keV in the outer regions of the cluster to ∼4 keV in the core. The Chandra data provide tight constraints on the gravitational potential of the cluster which can be parametrized by a Navarro, Frenk & White model. The X-ray data allow us to measure the X-ray gas mass fraction as a function of radius, leading to a determination of the cosmic matter density of
   
. The projected mass within a radius of ∼150 kpc implied by the presence of gravitationally lensed arcs in the cluster is in good agreement with the mass models preferred by the Chandra data. We find a radiative cooling time of the X-ray gas in the centre of Abell 1835 of about
   
. Cooling-flow model fits to the Chandra spectrum and a deprojection analysis of the Chandra image both indicate the presence of a young cooling flow (∼     with an integrated mass deposition rate of     within a radius of 30 kpc. We discuss the implications of our results in the light of recent Reflection Grating Spectrograph (RGS) observations of Abell 1835 with XMM-Newton .     

The extended rotation curve and the dark matter halo of M33

We present the 21-cm rotation curve of the nearby galaxy M33 out to a galactocentric distance of 16 kpc (13 disc scalelengths). The rotation curve keeps rising out to the last measured point and implies a dark halo mass ≳5×10¹⁰ M_⊙. The stellar and gaseous discs provide virtually equal contributions to the galaxy gravitational potential at large galactocentric radii, but no obvious correlation is found between the radial distribution of dark matter and the distribution of stars or gas.
Results of the best fit to the mass distribution in M33 picture a dark halo which controls the gravitational potential from 3 kpc outward, with a matter density which decreases radially as R ^−1.3. The density profile is consistent with the theoretical predictions for structure formation in hierarchical clustering cold dark matter (CDM) models, and favours lower mass concentrations than those expected in the standard cosmogony.     

Chandra observations of the X-ray jet in 3C 66B

Our Chandra observation of the FR I radio galaxy 3C 66B has resulted in the first detection of an X-ray counterpart to the previously known radio, infrared and optical jet. The X-ray jet is detected up to 7 arcsec from the core and has a steep X-ray spectrum, α ≈1.3±0.1 . The overall X-ray flux density and spectrum of the jet are consistent with a synchrotron origin for the X-ray emission. However, the inner knot in the jet has a higher ratio of X-ray to radio emission than the others. This suggests that either two distinct emission processes are present or differences in the acceleration mechanism are required; there may be a contribution to the emission from the inner knot from an inverse Compton process or it may be the site of an early strong shock in the jet. The peak of the brightest radio and X-ray knot is significantly closer to the nucleus in the X-ray than in the radio, which may suggest that the knots are privileged sites for high-energy particle acceleration. 3C 66B's jet is similar both in overall spectral shape and in structural detail to those in more nearby sources such as M87 and Centaurus A.