Chandra reveals a black-hole X-ray binary within the ultraluminous supernova remnant MF 16

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0304024

From: Tim Roberts <tro@star.le.ac.uk>

Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 16:11:23 GMT   (45kb)

Authors:
T.P. Roberts (1),
E.J.M. Colbert (2) ((1) University of Leicester; (2) Johns Hopkins University)

Comments: 6 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present evidence, based on Chandra ACIS-S observations of the nearby
spiral galaxy NGC 6946, that the extraodinary X-ray luminosity of the MF 16
supernova remnant actually arises in a black-hole X-ray binary. This conclusion
is drawn from the point-like nature of the X-ray source, its X-ray spectrum
closely resembling the spectrum of other ultraluminous X-ray sources thought to
be black-hole X-ray binary systems, and the detection of rapid hard X-ray
variability from the source. We briefly discuss the nature of the hard X-ray
variability, and the origin of the extreme radio and optical luminosity of MF
16 in light of this identification.

References and citations for this submission:

SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to ,
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