Astronomy:M10-VLA1

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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.[1][2][3][4][5]

Discovery

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.[6][7]

Charecterstics

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.[8][9][10]

Messier 10

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.[11][12]

Further Research

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.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad et al. (2018-03-01). "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10". The Astrophysical Journal 855 (1): 55. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2018ApJ...855...55S. 
  2. ↑ Shishkovsky, Laura Katherine (2022). Radio-Emitting Compact Binaries in Milky Way Globular Clusters (PDF) (PhD thesis). Michigan State University. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  3. ↑ 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. doi:10.32023/0001-5237/70.4.3. Bibcode: 2020AcA....70..291R. 
  4. ↑ Urquhart, Ryan; Bahramian, Arash; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Ransom, Scott M.; Wang, Yuankun; Heinke, Craig; Tudor, Vlad et al. (2020-12-01). "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. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/abb6fc. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2020ApJ...904..147U. 
  5. ↑ "Messier 10 - NASA Science" (in en-US). 2017-10-19. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-10/. 
  6. ↑ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad et al. (2018-02-05), "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10", The Astrophysical Journal 855: 55, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1, Bibcode: 2018ApJ...855...55S, http://arxiv.org/abs/1802.01704, retrieved 2025-10-10 
  7. ↑ [1]
  8. ↑ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad et al. (2018-03-01). "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10". The Astrophysical Journal 855 (1): 55. doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1. ISSN 0004-637X. Bibcode: 2018ApJ...855...55S. 
  9. ↑ [2]
  10. ↑ [3]
  11. ↑ "Messier 10 - NASA Science" (in en-US). 2017-10-19. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble/science/explore-the-night-sky/hubble-messier-catalog/messier-10/. 
  12. ↑ [4]
  13. ↑ Shishkovsky, Laura; Strader, Jay; Chomiuk, Laura; Bahramian, Arash; Tremou, Evangelia; Li, Kwan-Lok; Salinas, Ricardo; Tudor, Vlad et al. (2018-02-05), "The MAVERIC Survey: A Red Straggler Binary with an Invisible Companion in the Galactic Globular Cluster M10", The Astrophysical Journal 855: 55, doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aaadb1, Bibcode: 2018ApJ...855...55S, http://arxiv.org/abs/1802.01704, retrieved 2025-10-10 



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