Scholarworks @ Morehead State

Title

A Search For The Time Variability In The Population Of X-Ray Binary Systems In The Galaxy IC 342

Authors

Bannon Jones
Thomas Pannuti, Faculty Mentor

Files

Description

X-ray binaries (XRBs) are comprised of a neutron star (NS) or stellar-mass black hole (BH) that is accreting material from a stellar companion. Studies of these sources yield insights into the properties of NSs and BHs as well as the dynamics of mass transfer and stellar evolution in binary star systems with sources at stages of advanced stellar evolution. Studies of X-ray binaries in the Galaxy are compromised by massive absorption extinction along Galactic lines of sight and by significant uncertainties in the distances to these sources. In contrast, studies of XRBs in nearby face-on galaxies with high current rates of star formation, locations at high Galactic latitudes and face-on orientations feature lower amounts of extinction. In addition, uncertainties in the distances to these XRBs are reduced to uncertainties in the distances to the host galaxies themselves. With this motivation, we are conducting a timing analysis of the XRB population in the nearby face-on spiral galaxy IC 342. Our analysis of archival X-ray observations that were made of this galaxy using the Chandra X-ray observatory have identified 123 discrete X-ray sources, the majority of which are XRB candidates. We are conducting a timing analysis on twelve of these sources detected at high confidence (at 1000 total counts or more) to identify variability both during an observation and between observations themselves. We have identified 9 sources that exhibit clear evidence for variability.

Publication Date

4-2023

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Business | Education | Engineering | Higher Education | Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Physical Sciences and Mathematics | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Recommended Citation

Jones, Bannon and Pannuti, Thomas, "A Search For The Time Variability In The Population Of X-Ray Binary Systems In The Galaxy IC 342" (2023). 2023 Celebration of Student Scholarship - Poster Presentations. 41.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/41