{
  "id": "2003.10311",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2020-03-23T14:57:21.000Z",
  "updated": "2020-03-23T14:57:21.000Z",
  "title": "Galactic Center IRS13E: Colliding Stellar Winds or an Intermediate Mass Black Hole?",
  "authors": [
    "Zhenlin Zhu",
    "Zhiyuan Li",
    "Anna Ciurlo",
    "Mark R. Morris",
    "Mengfei Zhang",
    "Tuan Do",
    "Andrea M. Ghez"
  ],
  "comment": "23 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to ApJ",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.HE",
    "astro-ph.GA"
  ],
  "abstract": "A small cluster of massive stars residing in the Galactic center, collectively known as IRS13E, is of special interest due to its close proximity to Sgr A* and the possibility that an embedded intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) binds its member stars. It has been suggested that colliding winds from two member stars, both classified as Wolf-Rayet type, are responsible for the observed X-ray, infrared and radio emission from IRS13E. We have conducted an in-depth study of the X-ray spatial, temporal and spectral properties of IRS13E, based on 5.6 Ms of ultra-deep Chandra observations obtained over 20 years. These X-ray observations show no significant evidence for source variability. We have also explored the kinematics of the cluster members, using Keck near-infrared imaging and spectroscopic data on a 14-yr baseline that considerably improve the accuracy of stars' proper motions. The observations are interpreted using 3-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of colliding winds tailored to match the physical conditions of IRS13E, leading us to conclude that the observed X-ray spectrum and morphology can be well explained by the colliding wind scenario, in the meantime offering no support for the presence of a putative IMBH. An IMBH more massive than a few $10^3{\\rm~M_\\odot}$ is also strongly disfavored by the stellar kinematics.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2020-03-23T14:57:21.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "intermediate mass black hole",
      "galactic center irs13e",
      "colliding stellar winds",
      "colliding wind",
      "member stars"
    ],
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 23,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable"
    }
  }
}