The LMXB Population of NGC 3379

TL;DR

This study analyzes the X-ray source population in NGC 3379, revealing the properties, variability, and distribution of low-mass X-ray binaries in the galaxy using deep Chandra and Hubble observations.

Contribution

It provides a detailed characterization of LMXBs in NGC 3379, including their variability, transient nature, and differences between globular cluster and field populations.

Findings

132 X-ray sources detected, 98 within the galaxy's D25 ellipse.

71 sources show long-term variability, indicating accreting compact objects.

Significant difference in low-luminosity LMXB populations between GCs and field.

Abstract

Presented here are the highlights from the deep Chandra observation of the elliptical galaxy NGC 3379. From the multi-epoch observation of this galaxy, 132 discrete X-ray sources have been detected within the region overlapped by all observations, 98 of which lie within the D25 ellipse of the galaxy. Of these 132 sources, 71 exhibit long-term variability, indicating that they are accreting compact objects. 11 of these sources have been identified as transient candidates, with a further 7 possible transients. In addition to this, from the joint Hubble/Chandra field of view, nine globular clusters (GCs) and 53 field low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) have been detected in the galaxy. Comparisons of these two populations reveals that, at higher luminosities the field LMXBs and GC-LMXBs are similar. However, a significant lack of GC-LMXBs has been found at lower luminosities, indicating that not all LMXBs can form in GCs.