X-RAY SOURCES AND THEIR OPTICAL COUNTERPARTS IN THE GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTER M12 (NGC 6218)

Abstract

We study a Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-S observation of the Galactic globular cluster M12. With a 26 ks exposure time, we detect six X-ray sources inside the half-mass radius (2'16) of which two are inside the core radius (0'72) of the cluster. If we assume that these sources are all associated with globular cluster M12, the luminosity LX among these sources between 0.3 and 7.0 keV varies roughly from 10[superscript 30] to 10[superscript 32] erg s[superscript −1]. For identification, we also analyzed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) and Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) data and identified the optical counterparts to five X-ray sources inside the HST ACS field of view. According to the X-ray and optical features, we found 2–5 candidate active binaries (ABs) or cataclysmic variables (CVs) and 0–3 background galaxies within the HST ACS field of view. Based on the assumption that the number of X-ray sources scales with the encounter rate and the mass of the globular cluster, we expect two X-ray sources inside M12, and the expectation is consistent with our observational results. Therefore, the existence of identified X-ray sources (possible CVs or ABs) in M12 suggests the primordial origin of X-ray sources in globular clusters which is in agreement with previous studies.