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Description
We present the properties of the discrete X-ray sources detected in our monitoring program of the 'typical' elliptical galaxy, NGC 3379, observed with Chandra ACIS-S in five separate pointings, resulting in a co-added exposure of 324ks. From this deep observation, 132 sources have been detected within the region overlapped by all observations, 98 of which lie within the D_25_ ellipse of the galaxy. These 132 sources range in L_X_ from 6x10^35^erg/s (with 3{sigma} upper limit <=4x10^36^erg/s) to ~2x10^39^erg/s, including one source with L_X_>1x10^39^erg/s, which has been classified as an ULX. From optical data, 10 X-ray sources have been determined to be coincident with a globular cluster, these sources tend to have high X-ray luminosity, with three of these sources exhibiting L_X_>1x10^38^erg/s. From X-ray source photometry, it has been determined that the majority of the 132 sources that have well constrained colors, have values that are consistent with typical LMXB spectra. In addition to this, a subpopulation of 10 sources has been found to exhibit very hard spectra and it is expected that most of these sources are absorbed background AGN. There are 64 sources in this population that exhibit long-term variability, indicating that they are accreting compact objects. Five of these sources have been identified as transient candidates, with a further 3 possible transients. Spectral variations have also been identified in the majority of the source population, where a diverse range of variability has been identified, indicating that there are many different source classes located within this galaxy.
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