We report here results from a Chandra ACIS observation of the stellar populations in and around the M17 HII region. The field reveals 886 sources with observed X-ray luminosities (uncorrected for absorption) between ~29.3ergs/s<logL_X_<32.8ergs/s, 771 of which have stellar counterparts in infrared images.
About 1000 X-ray emitting young premain-sequence (PMS) stars distributed in mass from ~0.05M_{sun}_ brown dwarfs to a ~50M_{sun}_ O star are detected in an image of the Orion Nebula obtained with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) on board the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The sources in the Becklin-Neugebauer/Kleinman-Low region of massive star formation are discussed in detail.
We analyze observations obtained with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory of bright Compton-thick active galactic nuclei (AGNs), those with column densities in excess of 1.5x10^24^cm^-2^ along the lines of sight. We therefore view the powerful central engines only indirectly, even at X-ray energies. Using high spatial resolution and considering only galaxies that do not contain circumnuclear starbursts, we reveal the variety of emission AGNs alone may produce.
We present the first X-ray study of NGC 6791, one of the oldest open clusters known (8Gyr). Our Chandra observation is aimed at uncovering the population of close interacting binaries down to L_X_~1x10^30^erg/s (0.3-7keV). We detect 86 sources within 8' of the cluster center, including 59 inside the half-mass radius. We identify 20 sources with proper-motion cluster members, which are a mix of cataclysmic variables (CVs), active binaries (ABs), and binaries containing sub-subgiants. With follow-up optical spectroscopy, we confirm the nature of one CV. We discover one new, X-ray variable candidate CV with Balmer and He II emission lines in its optical spectrum; this is the first X-ray-selected CV in an open cluster. The number of CVs per unit mass is consistent with the field, suggesting that the 3-4 CVs observed in NGC 6791 are primordial. We compare the X-ray properties of NGC 6791 with those of a few old open (NGC 6819, M67) and globular clusters (47 Tuc, NGC 6397). It is puzzling that the number of ABs brighter than 1x10^30^erg/s normalized by cluster mass is lower in NGC 6791 than in M 67 by a factor ~3-7. CVs, ABs, and sub-subgiants brighter than 1x10^30^erg/s are under-represented per unit mass in the globular clusters compared to the oldest open clusters, and this accounts for the lower total X-ray luminosity per unit mass of the former. This indicates that the net effect of dynamical encounters may be the destruction of even some of the hardest (i.e., X-ray-emitting) binaries.
Chandra study of Rosette star-forming complex. II.
Short Name:
J/ApJ/696/47
Date:
21 Oct 2021
Publisher:
CDS
Description:
We explore here the young stellar populations in the Rosette Molecular Cloud (RMC) region with high spatial resolution X-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which are effective in locating weak-lined T Tauri stars as well as disk-bearing young stars. A total of 395 X-ray point sources are detected, 299 of which (76%) have an optical or near-infrared (NIR) counterpart identified from deep FLAMINGOS images. From X-ray and mass sensitivity limits, we infer a total population of ~1700 young stars in the survey region. Based on smoothed stellar surface density maps, we investigate the spatial distribution of the X-ray sources and define three distinctive structures and substructures within them. Structures B and C are associated with previously known embedded IR clusters, while structure A is a new X-ray-identified unobscured cluster. A high-mass protostar RMCX 89=IRAS 06306+0437 and its associated sparse cluster are studied.
The Cepheus B (Cep B) molecular cloud and a portion of the nearby Cep OB3b OB association, one of the most active regions of star formation within 1kpc, have been observed with the ACIS detector on board the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. We detect 431 X-ray sources, of which 89% are confidently identified as clustered premain-sequence (PMS) stars.
Using the highest-resolution X-ray observation of the Trumpler 15 star cluster taken by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we estimate the total size of its stellar population by comparing the X-ray luminosity function (XLF) of the detected sources to a calibrator cluster and identify for the first time a significant fraction (~14%) of its individual members. The highest-resolution near-IR observation of Trumpler 15 (taken by the HAWK-I instrument on the Very Large Telescope) was found to detect most of our X-ray selected sample of cluster members, with a K-excess disk frequency of 3.8%+/-0.7%. The near-IR data, XLF, and published spectral types of the brightest members support a cluster age estimate (5-10Myr) that is older than those for the nearby Trumpler 14 and Trumpler 16 clusters, and suggest that high-mass members may have already exploded as supernovae. The morphology of the inner ~0.7pc core of the cluster is found to be spherical. However, the outer regions (beyond ~2pc) are elongated, forming an "envelope" of stars that, in projection, appears to connect Trumpler 15 to Trumpler 14; this morphology supports the view that these clusters are physically associated. Clear evidence of mass segregation is seen. This study appears in this special issue devoted to the Chandra Carina Complex Project, a 1.42deg^2^ Chandra X-ray survey of the Great Nebula in Carina.
We present the results of a Chandra ACIS-I survey of a high-latitude region at 13h +38{deg} which was earlier observed with ROSAT and which has recently been observed by XMM-Newton for 200ks. XMM-Newton will provide good-quality X-ray spectra for over 200 sources with fluxes around the knee of the logN/logS, which are responsible for the bulk of the X-ray background. The main aim of the Chandra observations is to provide arcsecond, or better, positions, and hence reliable identifications, for the XMM-Newton sources. The ACIS-I observations were arranged in a mosaic of four 30-ks pointings, covering almost all of the 15-arcmin radius XMM-Newton/ROSAT field. We detect 214 Chandra sources above a Cash likelihood statistic of 25, which approximates to 5{sigma} significance, to a limiting flux of ~1.3x10^-15^erg/cm^2^/s (0.5-7keV). Optical counterparts are derived from a Subaru SuprimeCam image reaching to R~27. The very large majority of the Chandra sources have an optical counterpart, with the distribution peaking at 23<R<24, although 14 have no counterpart to R=27. The fraction of X-ray sources with no identification brighter than R=27 is similar to that found in deeper Chandra surveys.
We identify and characterize low-mass stars in the ~3Myr old Trumpler 16 region by means of a deep Chandra X-ray observation, and study their optical and near-IR properties. We compare the X-ray activity of Trumpler 16 stars with the known characteristics of Orion and Cygnus OB2 stars. We analyzed a 88.4ks Chandra ACIS-I observation pointed at the center of Trumpler 16. Because of diffuse X-ray emission, source detection was performed using the PWDetect code for two different energy ranges: 0.5-8.0keV and 0.9-8.0keV. Results were merged into a single final list. We positionally correlated X-ray sources with optical and 2MASS catalogs. Source events were extracted with the IDL-based routine ACIS-Extract. X-ray variability was characterized using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and spectra were fitted by using XSPEC. The X-ray spectra of early-type, massive stars were analyzed individually. Our list of X-ray sources consists of 1035 entries, 660 of which have near-IR counterparts and are probably associated with Trumpler 16 members.
The Chandra Transmission Grating Data Archive and Catalog (TGCat) provides easy access to analysis-ready products, specifically, high-resolution X-ray count spectra and their corresponding calibrations. The web interface makes it easy to find observations of a particular object, type of object, or type of observation; to quickly assess the quality and potential usefulness of the spectra from pre-computed summary plots; or to customize a view with an interactive plotter, optionally combining spectra over multiple orders or observations. Data and responses can be downloaded as a package or as individual files, and the query results themselves can be retrieved as ASCII or Virtual Observatory tables. Portable reprocessing scripts used to create the archive and which use the Chandra X-ray Center's (CXC's) software and other publicly available software are also available, facilitating standard or customized reprocessing from Level 1 CXC archival data to spectra and responses with minimal user interaction.