Recent discoveries of supersoft X-ray sources in M 31
Abstract
Classical novae (CNe) have recently been reported to represent the major class of supersoft X-ray sources (SSSs) in the central area of our neighbouring galaxy M 31. This paper presents a review of results from recent X-ray observations of M 31 with XMM-Newton and Chandra. We carried out a dedicated optical and X-ray monitoring program of CNe and SSSs in the central area of M 31. We discovered the first SSSs in M 31 globular clusters (GCs) and their connection to the very first discovered CN in a M 31 GC. This result may have an impact on the CN rate in GCs. Furthermore, in our optical and X-ray monitoring data we discovered the CN M31N 2007-11a, which shows a very short SSS phase of 29 - 52 days. Short SSS states (durations < 100 days) of CNe indicate massive white dwarfs (WDs) that are candidate progenitors of supernovae type Ia. In the case of M31N 2007-11a, the optical and X-ray light curves suggest a binary containing a WD with M_WD > 1.0 M_sun. Finally, we present the discovery of the SSS counterpart of the CN M31N 2006-04a. The X-ray light curve of M31N 2006-04a shows short-time variability, which might indicate an orbital period of about 2 hours.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.0912.1247,
title = {Recent discoveries of supersoft X-ray sources in M 31},
author = {M. Henze and W. Pietsch and F. Haberl and G. Sala and M. Hernanz and D. Hatzidimitriou and A. Rau and D. H. Hartmann and J. Greiner and M. Orio and H. Stiele and M. J. Freyberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0912.1247},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
4 pages, 1 figure; Proc. of workshop "Supersoft X-ray Sources - New Developments", ESAC, May 2009; accepted for publication in Astronomische Nachrichten