Discovery of a Pair of Galaxies with Both Hosting X-ray Binary Candidates at $z=2.544$

Abstract

Among high-redshift galaxies, aside from active galactic nuclei (AGNs), X-ray binaries (XRBs) can be significant sources of X-ray emission. XRBs play a crucial role in galaxy evolution, reflecting the stellar populations of galaxies and regulating star formation through feedback, thereby shaping galaxy structure. In this study, we report a spectroscopically confirmed X-ray emitting galaxy pair (UDF3 and UDF3-2) at $z = 2.544$. By combining multi-wavelength observations from JWST/NIRSpec MSA spectra, JWST/NIRCam and MIRI imaging, Chandra, HST, VLT, ALMA, and VLA, we analyze the ionized emission lines, which are primarily driven by H II region-like processes. Additionally, we find that the mid-infrared radiation can be fully attributed to dust emission from galaxy themselves. Our results indicate that the X-ray emission from these two galaxies is dominated by high-mass XRBs, with luminosities of $L_X= (1.43\pm0.40) \times 10^{42} \, \text{erg} \, \text{s}^{-1}$ for UDF3, and $(0.40\pm0.12) \times 10^{42} \, \text{erg} \, \text{s}^{-1}$ for UDF3-2. Furthermore, we measure the star formation rate (SFR) of $529_{-88}^{+64}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ for UDF3, placing it $\approx$ 0.5 dex below the $L_X$/SFR-$z$ relation. This offset reflects the redshift-dependent enhancement of $L_X$/SFR-$z$ relation, which is influenced by metallicity and serves as a key observable for XRB evolution. In contrast, UDF3-2, with the SFR of $34_{-6}^{+6}$ $M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, aligns well with the $L_X$/SFR-$z$ relation. This galaxy pair represents the highest-redshift non-AGN-dominated galaxies with individual X-ray detections reported to date. This finding suggests that the contribution of XRBs to galaxy X-ray emission at high redshift may be underestimated.