The sub-classes of ultraluminous X-ray sources
Abstract
Ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) were an enigma since their discovery. ASCA showed that they are accreting black holes (BHs) with unknown mass, while Chandra & XMM data shows that the many of the lower luminosity ULXs can be explained by extreme accretion onto stellar remnant BHs. The discovery of hyperluminous X-ray sources has led to specu- lation that we may, once again, have found the elusive intermediate mass black holes, yet in the last year, a third sub-class of extreme ULXs has emerged, with their nature, as yet, un- known. Here we define and discuss the sub-classes of these fascinating systems, exploring possible explanations for their nature, and indicating possible future steps in their analysis.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1306.6886,
title = {The sub-classes of ultraluminous X-ray sources},
author = {Jeanette C. Gladstone},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1306.6886},
year = {2013}
}
Comments
Conference proceeding from "X-ray Astronomy: towards the next 50 years!" in Milan 2012