Related papers: Evolution of the spectral curvature in the ULX Hol…
The controversy over whether ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) contain a new intermediate-mass class of black holes (IMBHs) remains unresolved. We present new analyses of the deepest XMM-Newton observations of ULXs that address their…
We present a new analysis of X-ray spectra of the archetypal ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) Holmberg IX X-1 obtained by the Swift, XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observatories. This ULX is a persistent source, with a typical luminosity of ~10^40…
We present the first broadband 0.3-25.0 kev X-ray observations of the bright ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) Holmberg II X-1, performed by NuSTAR, XMM-Newton and Suzaku in September 2013. The NuSTAR data provide the first observations of…
We present results from a 112 ks long look by XMM-Newton at the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) Holmberg II X-1, long thought to be the one of best candidates for the missing class of intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs). Our data…
The ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) Holmberg II X-1 has been observed over 4 months in 2009/2010 by the Swift observatory. The source luminosity varied by a factor of up to 14, reaching a maximum 0.3-10 keV luminosity of ~3.0E40 erg/s. The…
A sub-set of the brightest ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), with X-ray luminosities well above $10^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$, typically have energy spectra which can be well described as hard power-laws, and short-term variability in excess of…
We use XMM-Newton and Swift data to study spectral variability in the ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX), Holmberg IX X-1. The source luminosity varies by a factor 3-4, giving rise to corresponding spectral changes which are significant, but…
Recent evidence - in particular the hard X-ray spectra obtained by NuSTAR, and the large amplitude hard X-ray variability observed when ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) show soft spectra - reveals that common ULX behaviour is inconsistent…
Ultraluminous X-ray sources are non-nuclear point sources exceeding the Eddington luminosity of a 10 Solar mass black hole. Modern consensus for a majority of the ULX population is that they are powered by stellar-mass black holes or…
We report X-ray spectral variability in an ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 1042 ULX1, using archival XMM-Newton and recent NuSTAR observations. In long-term evolution, the source has shown a trend of variation in spectral hardness. The…
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are amongst the most intriguing of X-ray source classes. Their extreme luminosities - greater than 10^39 erg/s in the 0.3 - 10 keV band alone - suggest either the presence of black holes larger than those…
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are a population of extragalactic objects whose luminosity exceeds the Eddington limit for a 10 Msun black hole (BH). Their properties have been widely interpreted in terms of accreting stellar-mass or…
We present results from the coordinated broadband X-ray observations of the extreme ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg IX X-1 performed by NuSTAR, XMM-Newton and Suzaku in late 2012. These observations provide the first high-quality…
Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) are high-mass X-ray binaries with an X-ray luminosity above $10^{39}$ erg s$^{-1}$. These ULXs can be powered by black holes that are more massive than $20M_\odot$, accreting in a standard regime, or…
We present the results of NuSTAR and XMM-Newton observations of the two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULX) NGC 1313 X-1 and X-2. The combined spectral bandpass of the two satellites enables us to produce the first spectrum of X-1 between 0.3…
We review observations of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). X-ray spectroscopic and timing studies of ULXs suggest a new accretion state distinct from those seen in Galactic stellar-mass black hole binaries. The detection of coherent…
We apply a reflection-based model to the best available XMM-Newton spectra of X-ray bright UltraLuminous X-ray (ULX) sources (NGC 1313 X-1, NGC 1313 X-2, M 81 X-6, Holmberg IX X-1, NGC 5408 X-1 and Holmberg II X-1). A spectral drop is…
We present a comprehensive spectral analysis of the ultraluminous X-ray source Holmberg II X-1 using broadband and high-resolution X-ray spectra taken with the XMM-Newton satellite over a period of 19 years benefiting from a recent…
Evidence is mounting that some Ultra-luminous X-ray sources (ULXs) may contain accreting intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs). We review the current observational evidence for IMBH-ULXs. While low-luminosity ULXs with L_X <~ 10^39.5 erg/s…
We present broadband X-ray spectral study of two ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs), M81 X-6 and Holmberg IX X-1 based on Suzaku & XMM-Newton observations. We perform joint broadband spectral analysis of the brightest sources in the field,…