The Bright X-Ray Source in NGC 3413

TL;DR

This paper investigates a bright X-ray source in galaxy NGC 3413, suggesting it is a complex ULX with extended emission, and estimates its mass and potential optical counterparts.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the X-ray source, proposing it as a composite ULX with extended emission and estimating its mass range.

Findings

The X-ray source has a luminosity around 10^39 erg/s.

The source is likely a composite of multiple point sources.

The estimated black hole mass is between 3 and 20 solar masses.

Abstract

The emission-line dwarf galaxy NGC 3413 is known to host a bright X-ray source near its optical center. The 0.3-10 keV luminosity of this source is estimated to be approximately 10$^{39}$ erg$s^{-1}$ potentially qualifying it as an ultra-luminous X-ray (ULX) source. A recent XMM-Newton observation suggests that the source is not point-like, and instead, is more likely a composite of point-like sources with extended and/or diffuse emission. The spectral and temporal features of the bright region are similar to those associated with the so-called broadened disk state of ULXs. Based on a multi-color blackbody spectral fit, we estimate the mass of the bright source to be in the range 3 - 20M$_{\odot}$. Potential optical counterparts are also explored with the aid of available SDSS and PanStars data.