The identification of an optical counterpart to the super-Eddington X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1

Roberts, T.P.; Goad, M.R.; Ward, M.J.; Warwick, R.S.; O'Brien, P.T.; Lira, P.; Hands, A.D.P.

doi:10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04659.x

The identification of an optical counterpart to the super-Eddington X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1

Roberts, T.P.; Goad, M.R.; Ward, M.J.; Warwick, R.S.; O'Brien, P.T.; Lira, P.; Hands, A.D.P.

Authors

Professor Tim Roberts t.p.roberts@durham.ac.uk
Professor

M.R. Goad

Professor Martin Ward martin.ward@durham.ac.uk
External Examiner (PGR)

R.S. Warwick

P.T. O'Brien

P. Lira

A.D.P. Hands

Abstract

We report the identification of a possible optical counterpart to the super-Eddington X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1. New Chandra data show that the X-ray source is point-like, with a luminosity of 5.2×10^39 erg/s (0.5-8 keV). It displays medium- and long-term X-ray variability in observations spanning a period of 20yr. The accurate Chandra position allows us to identify a blue optical continuum source (mv=19.7) at the position of NGC 5204 X-1, using newly obtained optical data from the INTEGRAL instrument on the William Herschel Telescope. The X-ray and optical source properties are consistent with the scenario in which we are observing the beamed X-ray emission of a high-mass X-ray binary in NGC 5204, composed of an O star with either a black hole or neutron star companion.

Citation

Roberts, T., Goad, M., Ward, M., Warwick, R., O'Brien, P., Lira, P., & Hands, A. (2001). The identification of an optical counterpart to the super-Eddington X-ray source NGC 5204 X-1. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 325(2), L7-L11. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04659.x

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	2001-08
Deposit Date	Apr 16, 2008
Publicly Available Date	Aug 8, 2014
Journal	Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN	0035-8711
Electronic ISSN	1365-2966
Publisher	Royal Astronomical Society
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	325
Issue	2
Pages	L7-L11
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04659.x
Keywords	High-resolution imager, All-sky survey, Rosat observations, Nearby galaxies, Emission, Sample.

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This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2001 The Authors Published on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.