XRBID: A Guide to Direct X-ray Binary Analysis#
This guide is an introduction to my personal methodology for the direct detection and analysis of X-ray binaries in nearby galaxy using the Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), as developed and used for my Ph.D. Thesis. As of writing, I used these techniques (or some version of them) in [HGC+21], [HGC+23], and [HCG+23]. I imagine as more galaxies are analyzed in this way, better techniques will be settle upon, and I will try to update this document accordingly.
I intend for this to be a totally comprehensive analysis guide that includes everything from installing CSC to pulling data from the HLA, to what kind of things can be done to analyze the data. This guide will also include experimental codes I’ve entertained, which may hopefully lead to breakthroughs that will make this entire survey exponentially faster to compile.
About XRBID Code#
Throughout this guide, the user will be provided with examples on how to use XRBID to conduct this XRB analysis research. This relies on custom python functions accessible through the XRBID GitHub repository: QosmicQi/XRBID
Before starting this guide, one should follow the instructions on the repository README file to install XRBID and obtain the custom functions and auxiliary data files (or download them directly from the XRBID directory). Since this project is under active development (as of 2025), one should also update their version of XRBID frequently. A quick-reference breakdown of the functions used in this guide will be added to the end of the guide at a later date.
Chapters#
- Overview of Process
- Getting Started
- Retrieving X-ray Data from the
CSC - Retrieving Optical Images from the HLA
- Handling HST Data
- Creating Mosaics with
AstroDrizzle - HST Source Identification and Photometry
- Astrometric Corrections
- Identifying Optical Counterparts to X-ray Sources
- Classifying Optical Counterparts
- Estimating XRB Masses with CMDs and CCDs
- Final Thoughts
- Errors and How to Fix Them
- Examples of
XRBIDFunctions
Bibliography#
Qiana Hunt, Rupali Chandar, Elena Gallo, Matthew Floyd, Thomas J. Maccarone, and David A. Thilker. The x-ray binary-star cluster connection in late-type galaxies. The Astrophysical Journal, 953(2):126, aug 2023. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace162, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ace162.
Qiana Hunt, Elena Gallo, Rupali Chandar, Paula Johns Mulia, Angus Mok, Andrea Prestwich, and Shengchen Liu. Calibrating x-ray binary luminosity functions via optical reconnaissance. i. the case of m83. The Astrophysical Journal, 912(1):31, Apr 2021. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/abe531, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abe531.
Qiana Hunt, Elena Gallo, Rupali Chandar, Angus Mok, and Andrea Prestwich. Calibrating x-ray binary luminosity functions via optical reconnaissance. ii. the high-mass xlf and globular cluster population of x-ray binaries in the low star-forming spiral m81. The Astrophysical Journal, 947(1):31, apr 2023. URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ac78da, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ac78da.
Minsun Kim, Dongwoo Kim, Belinda Jane Wilkes, Paul Joseph Green, Eunhyeuk Kim, Craig S Anderson, Wayne Barkhouse, Nancy Remage Evans, Zeljko Ivezic, Margarita Karovska, Vinay Kashyap, Myung Gyoon Lee, Peter Maksym, Amy E. Mossman, John David Silverman, and Harvey Dale Tananbaum. Chandra Multiwavelength Project X‐Ray Point Source Catalog. In Chandra Multiwavelength Project X‐Ray Point Source Catalog. 2007.
Rupali Chandar, Paula Johns, Angus Mok, Andrea Prestwich, Elena Gallo, and Qiana Hunt. A New Window into the Nature of X-Ray Binaries in M101 from Their Optical Emission. \apj , 890(2):150, February 2020. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ab6b27.
Bret D. Lehmer, Rafael T. Eufrasio, Panayiotis Tzanavaris, Antara Basu-Zych, Tassos Fragos, Andrea Prestwich, Mihoko Yukita, Andreas Zezas, Ann E. Hornschemeier, and Andrew Ptak. X-Ray Binary Luminosity Function Scaling Relations for Local Galaxies Based on Subgalactic Modeling. \apjs , 243(1):3, Jul 2019. arXiv:1905.05197, doi:10.3847/1538-4365/ab22a8.
This Jupyter Book was last updated on April 20, 2025
Special thanks to Pau Bosch-Cabot and Dev Khullar for their aid in the creation of this guide.