Accepted Cycle 14 Observing Proposals

NORMAL GALAXIES DIFFUSE EMISSION & SURVEYS

Proposal Number	Subject Category	PI Name	Title
14610136	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	Swartz	An X-ray Study of galaxy Growth in Nearby Dwarf Irregulars
14610232	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	Yusef-Zadeh	The Origin of Diffuse 6.4 keV Line Emission from two Clouds near the Galactic Center Nonthermal Filaments
14610322	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	Appleton	Mapping X-rays in the Shock-heated Taffy Bridge: Can X-rays Explain the Warm H2?
14610601	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	BUOTE	The Baryon and Dark Matter Profiles of Isolated Elliptical Galaxies
14610722	NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION	Canning	PROBING GALAXY FORMATION WITH FAST ROTATING ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES
14620150	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Rappaport	Arp 143: Collisional Ring Galaxy
14620212	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Chary	The Origin of Elevated X-ray Emission in Strong Halpha Emitting Galaxies
14620268	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Rappaport	Galaxies in Collision: NGC 2207 & IC 2163
14620435	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Di Stefano	Seeing through Baade's Window: Discovering X-Ray Sources that have Long-Term Optical Light Curves
14620479	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Wolter	Ring galaxies as the cradle of ULXs
14620502	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Sutton	Searching for IMBHs: characterising three new bright ULX candidates with Chandra
14620615	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Garcia	Monitoring M31 for BHXNe
14620812	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	IRWIN	Monitoring a Possible Post-Tidal Disruption Event (and Black Hole X-ray Binaries) in NGC1399
14620843	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Miller	Testing supermassive black hole feedback in a pristine environment
14620912	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	van den Berg	Chandra survey of the oldest open clusters
14620924	NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS	Baganoff	Monitoring the Tidal Disruption of a Gas Cloud Approaching Sgr A*

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 14610136

Title: An X-ray Study of galaxy Growth in Nearby Dwarf Irregulars

PI Name: Douglas Swartz

The combination of high specific star-formation rates, small angular sizes, solid-body rotation, and small distances make the nearby dIrr galaxies DDO75, HoII, and NGC2366 ideal targets for study of their hot gas distributions within and beyond their optical limits. We will test whether or not the X-ray surface brightness profile follows the ``outside-in'' star formation trend seen at other wavelengths and interpret this in the context of stellar feedback and outflow models. We will test for a potential environmental (ambient density) dependence in the Lx/Lfir relation by comparing to more luminous starbursts and LIRGs. We will compare the small-scale hot gas morphology to the numerous holes, shells and clouds visible in our HI maps of cold gas and Ha images of warm gas.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
10:11:00.80	-04:41:34.00	DDO75	ACIS-S	NONE	30

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 14610232

Title: The Origin of Diffuse 6.4 keV Line Emission from two Clouds near the Galactic Center Nonthermal Filaments

PI Name: Farhad Yusef-Zadeh

We propose Chandra observations centered on the filaments of the radio Arc near l~0.2 degrees to study time variability of two diffuse 6.4 keV line emitting molecular clouds, G0.13-0.13 and G0.16-0.22 as well as a thin synchrotron X-ray filament G0.13-0.11. XMM measurements have indicated time variability of the 6.4 keV line emission from G0.13-0.13 on arcminute angular scales. Here, we request a second-epoch observation of G0.13-0.13 and G0.16-0.22 for 50ks, 12 years since we first observed these sources with the ACIS of Chandra for 50ks. The proposed measurements will examine the time variability of the 6.4 keV line emission with higher spatial resolution, allowing us to determine which feature, the fluorescent 6.4 keV and/or X-ray synchrotron filament, varies.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
17:49:30.30	-28:53:13.20	G0.13-0.13	ACIS-I	NONE	50

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 14610322

Title: Mapping X-rays in the Shock-heated Taffy Bridge: Can X-rays Explain the Warm H2?

PI Name: Phil Appleton

Recent Spitzer observations reveal an large unexplained WARM molecular hydrogen component to the bridge which we believe is shock-induced. Hot X-ray gas, heated in the collision, might provide part of the answer, but the Taffy has never been targeted in X-rays before. The unusually high cooling rate (high line luminosity) of the warm H2 in the bridge suggests turbulent or shock-heating of the molecular gas similar to that seen in the galaxy-sized shocked filament in the Stephan's Quintet (SQ) a powerful CHANDRA soft X-ray source. Based on a comparison with SQ, we should easily detect X-rays from the Taffy bridge. The results will provide a clean measurement of the importance of X-ray heating in the dissipation of mechanical energy in large-scale astrophysical turbulence.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
00:01:40.20	+23:29:23.00	Taffy Galaxy	ACIS-S	NONE	40

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 14610601

Title: The Baryon and Dark Matter Profiles of Isolated Elliptical Galaxies

PI Name: DAVID BUOTE

The mass profiles of elliptical galaxies are important probes of galaxy formation and cosmology. Only a few elliptical galaxies have detailed mass measurements from X-rays because of the lack of suitable targets in terms of total mass (< ~10^{13} m_sun) and relaxed dynamical states appropriate for hydrostatic analysis. We have identified a sample of (hot) gas-rich isolated elliptical galaxies, most of which were discovered from previously awarded XMM and Chandra snapshot programs to search for optimal targets for X-ray studies of mass profiles on the galaxy scale. We request Chandra observations to map the detailed profiles of stars, dark matter, and hot gas in two of these galaxies.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
02:31:09.80	+29:35:19.50	NGC 953	ACIS-S	NONE	50
10:53:06.00	-40:19:44.60	ESO318-021	ACIS-S	NONE	50

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: DIFFUSE EMISSION

Proposal Number: 14610722

Title: PROBING GALAXY FORMATION WITH FAST ROTATING ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES

PI Name: Rebecca Canning

A recent paradigm shift in theories of elliptical galaxy evolution has put the hot gas content of such systems front and centre. Both Kormendy et al. and the ATLAS 3D team have separately suggested a revision of the Hubble tuning fork to a parallel sequence with the existence of two kinds of elliptical galaxies; disky/fast and core/slow ellipticals. These classes should be distinguishable by their hot gas content with slow rotators having large X-ray halos while fast rotators have little hot gas and are dominated by discrete sources. Little X-ray data exists on fast/disky elliptical galaxies. We propose observations of the X-ray brightest fast rotators in the ATLAS 3D sample to test the hypothesis that the hot gas content of early-type galaxies controls their evolutionary history.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
14:31:27.20	+03:00:32.80	IC1024	ACIS-S	NONE	20
12:26:50.60	+09:35:02.80	NGC4417	ACIS-S	NONE	30
13:53:26.70	+40:16:59.20	NGC5353	ACIS-S	NONE	40
23:02:00.90	+15:57:53.30	NGC7465	ACIS-S	NONE	30
12:28:57.50	+13:14:30.80	NGC4458	ACIS-S	NONE	30

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620150

Title: Arp 143: Collisional Ring Galaxy

PI Name: Saul Rappaport

Chandra has observed only a handful of collisional ring galaxies to date and in each of them has found multiple luminous non-nuclear X-ray sources that are typically coincident with regions of recent or ongoing star formation. Because the local star formation in galaxies recently involved in collisions is a relatively short-lived phenomenon, these galaxies are particularly favorable targets for studies of the relationships between the origin and evolution of the X-ray sources and the star formation locations and histories. To pursue this type of study, we request a 40-ksec Chandra observation of the collisional ring galaxy Arp 143 to facilitate the development of a quantitative understanding of both the spatial and temporal aspects of the X-ray source/star formation relationships.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
07:46:53.00	+39:01:55.00	Arp 143	ACIS-S	NONE	40

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620212

Title: The Origin of Elevated X-ray Emission in Strong Halpha Emitting Galaxies

PI Name: Ranga Ram Chary

Star-forming galaxies with Halpha equivalent widths greater than 500A constitute 0.04\% of local galaxies and are referred to as Halpha emitters (HAEs). Archival data for 4 of the 350 local HAEs show orders of magnitude elevated X-ray luminosity per unit star-formation relative to other star-forming galaxies, an anomaly which is poorly understood. We propose here to provide a factor of three increase in the sample of HAEs with measurements of their X-ray luminosity. This study is crucial for providing the first robust constraints on LX/SFR in galaxies with high specific star-formation rates and distinguishing between different possible scenarios that may be responsible for the enhanced X-ray emission such as intermediate mass black holes, high mass X-ray binaries and supernova remnants.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
14:10:59.20	+43:02:46.90	HAE 221	ACIS-S	NONE	16
17:35:01.20	+57:03:08.60	HAE 291	ACIS-S	NONE	11
08:44:14.20	+02:26:21.10	HAE 63	ACIS-S	NONE	15
14:09:56.80	+54:56:48.90	HAE 220	ACIS-S	NONE	18
16:21:52.60	+15:18:56.00	HAE 281	ACIS-S	NONE	16
11:50:02.70	+15:01:23.50	HAE 145	ACIS-S	NONE	15
13:41:56.50	+30:31:09.60	HAE 212	ACIS-S	NONE	23

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620268

Title: Galaxies in Collision: NGC 2207 & IC 2163

PI Name: Saul Rappaport

We propose to observe a pair of relatively nearby colliding galaxies: NGC 2207 & IC 2163. This particular galaxy pair, at 38 Mpc, will nicely complement the diversity of collisional galaxy morphologies studied thus far with Chandra. Collisions between galaxies are known to produce high rates of star formation and the concomitant generation of highly luminous X-ray sources, including ultraluminous X-ray sources. We combine existing Galex FUV and Spitzer 24 micron images to generate star formation rate images that indicate where we expect to find luminous X-rays in these colliding galaxies. With the Chandra observations we will be able to more quantitatively, and with spatial resolution, probe the relation between SFRs and the production of very luminous X-ray sources.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
06:16:22.10	-21:22:21.80	NGC 2207/IC 2163	ACIS-S	NONE	40

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620435

Title: Seeing through Baade's Window: Discovering X-Ray Sources that have Long-Term Optical Light Curves

PI Name: R. Di Stefano

The region of the sky richest in x-ray sources (XRSs) is the Galactic Bulge. Deep observations provide insight for just a tiny fraction of it; shallow exposures miss most of the action. We propose a middle way: six 30-ksec HRC-I observations covering 1.5 sq. deg., ideally suited to counterpart identification using catalogs based on 20 years of optical monitoring. The x-ray/optical synergy and sensitivity to soft x-rays will discover and elucidate the natures of XRSs in the Bulge and foreground. An interesting feature: we will find 1-2 XRSs matched to past microlensing events; each decade of continued optical monitoring will find lensing events at the sites of 4-5 of the XRSs we discover this year. This "middle way" may be ideal for Chandra surveys of our Galactic Bulge.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
17:58:15.10	-29:02:19.10	hrc-1	HRC-I	NONE	30
17:59:15.40	-28:56:34.30	hrc-2	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:01:14.40	-28:46:12.70	hrc-3	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:00:16.60	-28:51:33.00	hrc-4	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:02:16.60	-28:41:23.20	hrc-5	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:03:16.40	-28:37:00.30	hrc-6	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:05:07.50	-28:24:05.50	hrc-8	HRC-I	NONE	30
18:04:14.00	-28:31:34.60	hrc-7	HRC-I	NONE	30

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620479

Title: Ring galaxies as the cradle of ULXs

PI Name: Anna Wolter

Ring galaxies, characterized by high star formation rates, enhanced X-ray emission, and large numbers of ULXs, are unique laboratories where the effects of galaxy interactions in the X-ray band can be studied. However the results are based on a very scanty sample of 4 published galaxies. We selected the collisional rings (z<0.02) from the Arp&Madore sample of southern ring galaxies to investigate the properties of this statistically sound subsample. We propose here the 4 galaxies which require the unique Chandra high resolution. We expect to detect point sources down to LX>5e38 erg/s, and a total of about 15-20 ULXs. The non-detection of X-ray sources would imply that the galaxies already observed are different from the rest of the population.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
18:58:06.80	-49:00:41.00	AM 1854-490	ACIS-S	NONE	28
06:38:33.60	-80:14:52.00	AM 0642-801	ACIS-S	NONE	43

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620502

Title: Searching for IMBHs: characterising three new bright ULX candidates with Chandra

PI Name: Andrew Sutton

We propose Chandra observations of 3 new highly luminous (>5e40 erg/s) ultraluminous X-ray source (ULX) candidates within 100 Mpc, selected from the 2XMM-DR3 catalogue. Other similarly bright ULXs have X-ray spectral and timing properties consistent with being intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) in sub-Eddington accretion states. The unique imaging of Chandra will be used to confirm the point like nature of the sources, and to test whether one object is consistent with being a background QSO. The proposed observations will obtain the first reasonable quality (~1000 counts) X-ray data of one ULX candidate, and the second such data set of another. This will allow us to constrain the X-ray spectral and timing characteristics of the sources, and test the hypothesis that they harbour IMBHs.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
10:44:14.50	+06:45:42.00	2XMMi J104414.5+064542	ACIS-S	NONE	75

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620615

Title: Monitoring M31 for BHXNe

PI Name: Michael Garcia

During A01-13 we found ~28 Black Hole X-ray Novae (BHXNe) in M31 using Chandra, and with HST follow-up have estimated orbital periods for 12 of these. Observations are under way with HST to attempt to estimate additional periods. Preliminary results indicate these orbital periods are shorter than in the Galaxy and also shorter nearer the nucleus, indicating that some BHXN are formed via tidal capture. Continued observations can confirm or refute this. We propose to continue this program concentrating our HST resources on a single transient which is >1e38 erg/s or <1' from the nucleus. Only uninterrupted monitoring can yield the duty cycles and long-term light curves of BHXNe (and other variables) in M31.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
00:42:44.40	+41:16:08.30	M31 BHXN	ACIS-I	NONE	25

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620812

Title: Monitoring a Possible Post-Tidal Disruption Event (and Black Hole X-ray Binaries) in NGC1399

PI Name: JIMMY IRWIN

We propose a 3-yr, 30 ksec/yr monitoring campaign on CXOJ033831.8-352604 in the Fornax elliptical galaxy NGC1399. The high L_X and unusual optical emission lines emanating from the globular cluster that harbors this source indicate we are witnessing the aftermath of a tidal disruption event of a star by a ~100 solar mass black hole. Our monitoring campaign will determine how L_X of the source is evolving with time. We will also monitor 19 other high L_X sources in NGC~1399 that are strongly suspected to be black hole LMXBs. Previous studies found that none of these 19 sources turned ``off" from 2000-2008, in contrast to the transient nature of Milky Way black hole LMXBs with weeks-to-months outbursts. We will place constraints on the outburst duration and duty cycles of these sources.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
03:38:29.10	-35:27:03.00	NGC1399	ACIS-S	NONE	90

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620843

Title: Testing supermassive black hole feedback in a pristine environment

PI Name: Brendan Miller

We propose to observe six early-type galaxies located within cosmic voids to characterize the influence of Mpc-scale environment upon star formation and low-level supermassive black hole activity. This will test simple feedback prescriptions that are predicted to operate independently of the surrounding density and link star formation quenching to black hole activity. Alternatively, mediation of the cold gas supply by the Mpc-scale environment could mutually enhance star-formation and low-level supermassive black hole activity. Comparison of the nuclear X-ray luminosities of void early-type galaxies to their field and cluster counterparts, and identification of any trends in nuclear X-ray luminosity with star formation rate, cleanly distinguish the relevance of feedback versus environment.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
13:57:07.50	+05:15:06.80	NGC 5373	ACIS-S	NONE	50
14:22:37.10	+59:55:51.30	Mrk 0810	ACIS-S	NONE	30
09:17:19.70	+11:37:43.30	PGC 3091110	ACIS-S	NONE	10
13:16:15.40	+20:02:51.60	IC 0862	ACIS-S	NONE	35
08:07:20.30	+51:07:54.00	NGC 2518	ACIS-S	NONE	10
13:50:39.10	+35:02:17.90	UGC 08754	ACIS-S	NONE	15

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620912

Title: Chandra survey of the oldest open clusters

PI Name: Maureen van den Berg

We propose to continue our study of the close binary populations in the oldest open clusters. Chandra's sharp PSF provides the sensitivity that is crucial for such a survey of faint sources. Based on our previous work, we expect to detect active binaries, cataclysmic variables, and anomalous binaries that formed in dynamical encounters. The latter are key to constraining the link between binary evolution and stellar dynamics in a poorly-studied regime of age and stellar-density that is not covered by globular clusters. The proposed targets will almost double the sample of old open clusters studied in X-rays, allowing a more conclusive study of trends hinted at in the current small sample.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
16:59:05.00	-52:42:30.00	NGC 6253	ACIS-I	NONE	22
00:47:12.50	+85:14:49.00	NGC 188	ACIS-I	NONE	26
05:20:26.00	+30:34:03.00	Berkeley 17	ACIS-I	NONE	73

Subject Category: NORMAL GALAXIES: X-RAY POPULATIONS

Proposal Number: 14620924

Title: Monitoring the Tidal Disruption of a Gas Cloud Approaching Sgr A*

PI Name: Frederick Baganoff

Gillessen et al.'s exciting discovery of a 3 earth-mass cloud of gas and dust that is approaching SgrA* on a nearly radial orbit presents a rare opportunity to watch the processes of tidal disruption and feeding of a SMBH in unprecedented detail. Analytical arguments and simulations indicate that the cloud will be compressed, fragmented and shock heated by RT and KH instabilities as it plows through the hot accretion flow of this ultra-sub-Eddington accreting black hole. The strength of the X-ray emission during pericenter passage will depend critically on the radial density and temperature profiles of the hot accretion flow, presenting an unique probe of these properties. The amount of X-ray emission will also be a powerful discriminator of proposed scenarios for the origin of the cloud.

R.A.	Dec.	Target Name	Det.	Grating	Exp.Time
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20
17:45:40.00	-29:00:28.10	Sgr A*	ACIS-I	NONE	20

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