Do Neutron stars Or Black Holes Dominate The X-ray Binary Population Of The Youngest Starburst Galaxies?

Laycock, Silas; Camero, A.; Wilson-Hodge, C.; Williams, B.; Garcia, M.; Prestwich, A.
Bibliographical reference

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #218, #230.08; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011

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5
2011
Number of authors
6
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
0
Refereed citations
0
Description
We report on our year-long (2009-'10) campaign with the Chandra X-ray observatory, to capture the transient X-ray binary (XRB) population in the nearby starburst galaxy IC10 in Cassiopeia. Together with archival data, the study includes 225 ksec of Chandra exposure for a limiting luminosity depth of logLX>35 sensitive to high-mass XRBs containing neutron stars, black holes, and to X-ray novae. Our study aims to characterize the XRB population in the youngest available starburst, which should be dominated by the most massive stars and their newly formed relics. Of 100 X-ray sources; 20% are strong variables, and 40% are associated with massive stars. Contemporaneous optical spectroscopy from Gemini observatory is providing spectral types and hence the masses, ages and composition of these extragalactic XRBs.