M10-VLA1

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M10-VLA1

Location of M10-VLA1
Observation data
Epoch J2000.0      Equinox J2000.0
Constellation Ophiuchus
Right ascension 16h 57m 8.48s
Declination −04° 05′ 55.7″
Characteristics
Evolutionary stage Black Hole + Red Straggler
Spectral type ?
Other designations
M10-VLA1 [1]
Database references
SIMBADdata

M10-VLA1 is a variable low-mass X-ray binary in the globular cluster Messier 10 that is also a radio source, situated in the equatorial constellation of Ophiuchus about 4,400 parsecs (14,000 light-years) distant. Discovered spectroscopically in 2018 as part of the MAVERIC (Milky Way ATCA and VLA Exploration of Radio-sources in Clusters) survey, the system was found to contain an unusual red straggler star orbiting an invisible companion of an uncertain nature, possibly a stellar black hole.[2][3][4][5][6]

Discovery

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M10-VLA1 was detected using the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) in deep radio continuum imaging at 7.4 GHz, revealing a flux density of 27 ± 4 μJy and a flat to inverted radio spectrum indicative of compact emission from accretion processes. Chandra X-ray Observatory observations identified an X-ray counterpart with a luminosity of ~1031 erg/s, consistent with the radio-X-ray correlation for quiescent black holes. Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging revealed ultraviolet (UV) and optical variability, while spectroscopy from the SOAR Telescope showed double-peaked Hα emission lines, suggesting an accretion disk around the companion. The optical spectrum of the visible star resembles a G-type star.[7][8]

Charecterstics

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The system has an orbital period of 3.339 days, determined through spectroscopic radial velocity measurements. The visible component is a red straggler, a star brighter and redder than typical for its position in M10’s color-magnitude diagram, likely formed through dynamical interactions or a merger in the dense cluster environment. The companion’s low radial velocity semi-amplitude and the system’s properties suggest a massive companion, most likely a black hole with a mass comparable to or greater than similar systems (e.g., COM J1740–5340 in NGC 6397). The binary’s face-on orientation (inclination < 4°) explains its observed characteristics if it is a black hole X-ray binary.[9][10][11]

Messier 10

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Messier 10 is a relatively loose globular cluster with a metallicity of [Fe/H] ≈ -1.5 and an age of ~12–13 billion years, containing hundreds of thousands of stars. Globular clusters like M10 are known for hosting exotic objects such as X-ray binaries due to frequent stellar encounters in their dense cores. M10-VLA1 is a significant example of such systems, potentially representing one of the few confirmed black hole binaries in a Galactic globular cluster.[12][13]

Further Research

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Further observations, including deeper spectroscopy or monitoring for flares or eclipses, are needed to definitively confirm the nature of the compact companion. If confirmed as a black hole, M10-VLA1 would contribute to understanding the formation and evolution of black hole binaries in dense stellar environments.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Simbad - Object view". simbad.cds.unistra.fr. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  2. ^ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Maccarone, Thomas J.; Heinke, Craig O.; Sivakoff, Gregory R. (1 March 2018). "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10". The Astrophysical Journal. 855 (1): 55. arXiv:1802.01704. Bibcode:2018ApJ...855...55S. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1. ISSN 0004-637X.
  3. ^ Shishkovsky, Laura Katherine (2022). Radio-Emitting Compact Binaries in Milky Way Globular Clusters (PDF) (PhD thesis). Michigan State University. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  4. ^ Rozyczka, M.; Pych, W.; Thompson, I.B.; Mazur, B. (2020). "The Clusters AgeS Experiment (CASE). Variable Stars in the Field of the Globular Cluster NGC 3201 - a Supplement". Acta Astronomica. 70 (4): 291–299. arXiv:2001.01529. Bibcode:2020AcA....70..291R. doi:10.32023/0001-5237/70.4.3.
  5. ^ Urquhart, Ryan; Bahramian, Arash; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Ransom, Scott M.; Wang, Yuankun; Heinke, Craig; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Tetarenko, Alexandra J.; Maccarone, Thomas J.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.; Shishkovsky, Laura; Swihart, Samuel J.; Tremou, Evangelia (1 December 2020). "The MAVERIC Survey: New Compact Binaries Revealed by Deep Radio Continuum Observations of the Galactic Globular Cluster Terzan 5". The Astrophysical Journal. 904 (2): 147. arXiv:2009.07286. Bibcode:2020ApJ...904..147U. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abb6fc. ISSN 0004-637X.
  6. ^ "Messier 10 - NASA Science". 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  7. ^ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A. (5 February 2018), "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10", The Astrophysical Journal, 855: 55, arXiv:1802.01704, Bibcode:2018ApJ...855...55S, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1, retrieved 10 October 2025
  8. ^ [1]
  9. ^ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A.; Maccarone, Thomas J.; Heinke, Craig O.; Sivakoff, Gregory R. (1 March 2018). "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10". The Astrophysical Journal. 855 (1): 55. arXiv:1802.01704. Bibcode:2018ApJ...855...55S. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1. ISSN 0004-637X.
  10. ^ [2]
  11. ^ [3]
  12. ^ "Messier 10 - NASA Science". 19 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  13. ^ [4]
  14. ^ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad; Miller-Jones, James C. A. (5 February 2018), "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10", The Astrophysical Journal, 855: 55, arXiv:1802.01704, Bibcode:2018ApJ...855...55S, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1, retrieved 10 October 2025