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Intermediate-Mass Black Hole Candidate ULXs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2006

J. Miller
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass., USA email: jmmiller@cfa.harvard.edu
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Abstract

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In a subset of the most luminous of the so-called “ultra-luminous” X-ray sources in nearby galaxies, there is evidence for black holes with masses considerably higher than found in Galactic binaries. Apart from extremely high X-ray luminosities, cool disks found in the X-ray spectra of these sources and X-ray timing measurements form the basis for present evidence for intermediate-mass black holes in these sources. New optical and radio measurements appear to support the X-ray evidence. I will review recent X-ray, optical, and radio observations of these ULXs, and discuss the strengths of the intermediate-mass black hole interpretation, arguments against this interpretation, and future prospects for revealing the nature of these ULXS more clearly.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
2006 International Astronomical Union