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Resolved atomic lines reveal outflows in two ultraluminous X-ray sources
Ciro Pinto1, Matthew J Middleton1, Andrew C Fabian1
1Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK.
Nature
|April 28, 2016
Summary
Ultraluminous X-ray sources exhibit fast-outflowing winds, evidenced by blueshifted X-ray absorption lines. These powerful winds surround compact objects, supporting models of accreting black holes.
Area of Science:
- Astrophysics
- High-energy astrophysics
- X-ray astronomy
Background:
- Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are extragalactic point sources with luminosities exceeding 3 × 10^39 ergs/sec.
- ULXs are powered by accretion onto compact objects, possibly neutron stars or stellar-mass to intermediate-mass black holes.
- Previous analyses lacked the energy resolution to identify spectral lines, hindering accretion flow studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the accretion flow in ULXs using high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy.
- To identify and characterize spectral features in ULXs to determine the nature of the compact object and its surroundings.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution X-ray spectral analysis of two ULXs: NGC 1313X-1 and NGC 5408X-1.
- Detection and significance assessment of emission and absorption lines in the X-ray spectra.
Main Results:
- Significant detection of X-ray emission lines from highly ionized iron, oxygen, and neon.
- Significant detection of blueshifted absorption lines, indicating fast-outflowing gas.
- Emission lines originate from slow-moving gas, while absorption lines arise from gas outflowing at approximately 0.2 times the speed of light.
Conclusions:
- The compact objects in NGC 1313X-1 and NGC 5408X-1 are surrounded by powerful winds.
- The observed winds have outflow velocities of about 0.2c, consistent with models of accreting supermassive black holes and hyper-accreting stellar-mass black holes.
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