A Potential Supernova Remnant/X-ray Binary Association in M31

Abstract

The well-studied X-ray/Optical/Radio supernova remnant DDB 1-15 (CXOM31 J004327.8+411829; r3-63) in M31 has been investigated with archival XMM-Newton and Chandra observations. The timing data from XMM-Newton reveals a power density spectrum (PDS) characteristic of accreting compact objects in X-ray binaries (XRBs). The PDS shows features typical of Roche lobe overflow accretion, hinting that the XRB is low-mass. The Chandra observations resolve the SNR into a shell and show a variable count rate at the 94% confidence level in the northwest quadrant. Together, these XMM-Newton and Chandra data suggest that there is an XRB in the SNR r3-63 and that the XRB is located in the northwestern portion of the SNR. The currently-available X-ray and optical data show no evidence that the XRB is high-mass. If the XRB is low-mass, r3-63 would be the first SNR found to contain a low-mass X-ray binary.