Multi Epoch Observations Of The Nearby Spiral Galaxy Ngc 6744 With The Chandra X Ray Observatory
Description
We present an analysis of two archival pointed observations made of the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 6744 with the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Based on its grand design spiral arm structure and its comparable linear extent, NGC 6744 has often been considered a "twin" to the Milky Way galaxy. In addition, given its proximity and face-on orientation, it is a desirable target for the study of discrete X-ray source populations in galaxies like the Milky Way. With its unsurpassed angular resolution of one arcsecond and its moderate flux sensitivity, Chandra is the ideal observatory to both detect discrete X-ray sources in nearby galaxies and to identify clear counterparts to these sources as detected at other wavelengths (such as optical and radio). We consider two observations made of this galaxy (each with effective exposure times of 50 kiloseconds) that were conducted two years apart. As part of this study, we have searched for time-variability in the X-ray emission from these sources between these two observations and -- using the combined dataset -- searched for X-ray counterparts to known discrete radio sources seen toward this galaxy. Initial results of this work will be presented and discussed.