Radio Emission from an Ultraluminous X-Ray Source
Abstract
The physical nature of ultraluminous x-ray sources is uncertain. Stellar mass black holes with beamed radiation and intermediate mass black holes with isotropic radiation are two plausible explanations. We discovered radio emission from an ultraluminous x-ray source in the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 5408. The x-ray, radio and optical fluxes as well as the x-ray spectral shape are consistent with beamed relativistic jet emission from an accreting stellar black hole. If confirmed, this would suggest that the ultraluminous x-ray sources may be stellar-mass rather than intermediate mass black holes. However, interpretation of the source as a jet-producing intermediate-mass black hole cannot be ruled out at this time.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0302182,
title = {Radio Emission from an Ultraluminous X-Ray Source},
author = {Philip Kaaret and Stephane Corbel and Andrea H. Prestwich and Andreas Zezas},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0302182},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
8 pages, one color figure. appeared in Science 299: 365-367 (January 17, 2003)