{"title":"Ultraluminous X-Ray Sources","authors":"P. Kaaret, H. Feng, T. Roberts","doi":"10.1146/annurev-astro-091916-055259","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"We review observations of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). X-ray spectroscopic and timing studies of ULXs suggest a new accretion state distinct from those seen in Galactic stellar-mass black hole binaries. The detection of coherent pulsations indicates the presence of neutron-star accretors in three ULXs and therefore apparently super-Eddington luminosities. Optical and X-ray line profiles of ULXs and the properties of associated radio and optical nebulae suggest that ULXs produce powerful outflows, also indicative of super-Eddington accretion. We discuss models of super-Eddington accretion and their relationship to the observed behaviors of ULXs. We review the evidence for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in ULXs. We consider the implications of ULXs for super-Eddington accretion in active galactic nuclei, heating of the early Universe, and the origin of the black hole binary recently detected via gravitational waves.","PeriodicalId":8138,"journal":{"name":"Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics","volume":"55 1","pages":"303-341"},"PeriodicalIF":26.3000,"publicationDate":"2017-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1146/annurev-astro-091916-055259","citationCount":"264","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-astro-091916-055259","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 264
Abstract
We review observations of ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). X-ray spectroscopic and timing studies of ULXs suggest a new accretion state distinct from those seen in Galactic stellar-mass black hole binaries. The detection of coherent pulsations indicates the presence of neutron-star accretors in three ULXs and therefore apparently super-Eddington luminosities. Optical and X-ray line profiles of ULXs and the properties of associated radio and optical nebulae suggest that ULXs produce powerful outflows, also indicative of super-Eddington accretion. We discuss models of super-Eddington accretion and their relationship to the observed behaviors of ULXs. We review the evidence for intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in ULXs. We consider the implications of ULXs for super-Eddington accretion in active galactic nuclei, heating of the early Universe, and the origin of the black hole binary recently detected via gravitational waves.
期刊介绍:
The Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics is covers significant developments in the field of astronomy and astrophysics including:The Sun,Solar system and extrasolar planets,Stars,Interstellar medium,Galaxy and galaxies,Active galactic nuclei,Cosmology,Instrumentation and techniques,
History of the development of new areas of research.